My Aim is True
by Scruffy-Nerf-Hearder
Summary: It started out as just a job, and she started out as just a way to get close to the target, but something happened, somehow she became more, and Clint became too involved. Years later, the target is still alive, and Clint has to turn to the last person he expects for help. Can Clint put aside his feeling and finish the job? Clint Barton/OC- Part of my WMDYL and EPP Universe!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey ya'll, and welcome to the first chapter of "My Aim is True"! This is a Clint Barton/OC story, and I hope you like it! Now, for those of you who haven't read my stories before, I'm going to warn you, there will be mention of some original characters in this story, I'm going to try not to put too many references to the previous stories in this, but, like I said, it takes place in the same universe as my stories "Which Me Do You Like?" "Ever Present Past" and "Heart of Gold", and those characters don't come into the story for a little while. **_

_**For those of you who have read my previous stories, welcome back, I hope you enjoy this one, and this story is starting out about a year before the events of "Which Me Do You Like" So, about... Six months before the events of the Avengers. **_

_**I'll tell you how much time goes by when it comes to that, but in the mean time, please enjoy the first chapter to "My Aim is True". **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. If I did I wouldn't be... Okay, I totally would still be writing fanfiction, but I'd also be making sure I was on the set for every Marvel movie. As of such, I do not, therefor I am not. It saddens me greatly.** _

* * *

Sometimes, when you're deep undercover, you need a break. You need to be able to sit down and have a moment to yourself, not to think about your mission or to strategize, or plan, no, just to sit down, and clear your mind.

For the most part Clint Barton didn't have those days, but on this particularly muggy night in the middle of a nowhere town in Ireland, he needed a night in air conditioning and a cold drink. There was only one bar and when he walked inside he realized he wasn't the only one with that idea. He paid for his drink and brought it to an empty table, he listened to the people chattering, most of them were already drunk, though someone soon stood up and announced that tonight was the night for the pub challenge.

He scoffed to himself softly before someone bumped into the back of his chair, making him spill beer down the front of his shirt. He sighed before setting his drink down on the table and turned around. He was met with a pair of wide blue eyes staring at him in shock.

"I am so, so sorry." the young girl who had bumped into him when she was sitting down apologized in a not quite as accented voice as he expected. "That was totally my fault." She was American, he could gather that much, though why she was in Ireland, he couldn't tell by just looking at her at this odd angle.

"It's fine, it's just a little beer." he said with a shrug and she bit her bottom lip in a way that made him think she probably wasn't even aware of the fact that she was doing it.

"You're sure?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, accidents happen." he nodded and the girl's eyes relaxed. He took the opportunity to look her over quickly. She looked around twenty three or twenty four, she had shoulder length red hair, but not a bright obnoxious red, more of a deep, dark red with wispy bangs across her forehead, she was fair skinned, a small, slightly turned up nose, and she had a sweet smile present across her lips.

"Well that accent makes me homesick." she said with a grin and he smiled lightly. "Where are you from?" she asked, and then quickly added "If you don't mind me asking."

"All over really." he said with a shrug, and noticed she was sitting alone. He picked up his drink and moved to the chair across from her. "Easier to see you this way." he said and she smiled, a small dimple sinking in her left cheek, he smiled gently seeing it and sipped his beer. "Where are you from?"

"California." she said with a nod. "Santa Barbara area- But uh, I'm out here visiting family for the summer."

"Ah that's nice. I'm just out here for work." he said as she sipped her drink.

"Here ya are Maggie," one of the waiters said as he set down a dish in front of the girl. "Ah, is this man botherin you?"

"No Colin, he's not bothering me." she said as she shook her head. The gangly dark haired young man shot Clint a glare before walking away.

"I don't think your boyfriend likes me." Clint said as he watched 'Colin' walk away.

"Colin is _so_ not my boyfriend." she laughed.

"Well he'd like to be." Clint said and she blushed lightly. "Ah, I see you're aware of that."

"He's a nice guy, but he's not really my type." she said as she poked around at her plate of French fries- or, chips. "Want one?" she pushed the plate to him and he shrugged before he took one and popped it in his mouth.

"Thanks." he said and she smiled.

"Maggie, who's your partner?" a voice asked and the two of them looked up at an older man holding a clipboard and a microphone.

"Oh, no Frank, I don't think he wants-"

"You like the pub challenge?" Clint asked and she grinned as she nodded.

"It's kind of dorky, but I love it." she shrugged, then quickly informed him: "You don't have to play."

"Maggie it's team night, I'm afraid I can't let you play alone." the older man said and Clint shrugged.

"I'll play." he said and she looked at him with an appreciative smile.

"Alright I need a name young man."

"Clint." he said shortly and the older man put a bell down on top of their table.

"Have you ever played before?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Sorry, you don't have the best partner." he shrugged.

"It's okay, it's just general knowledge stuff." she shrugged.

"You play often?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Well, a couple of times, but I've never won." she sighed. "It's almost always this couple, Mr. and Mrs. Boyle, they always get me on the questions about different countries; they used to travel like crazy." she said and the corners of his mouth rose in a small smile.

"What do you win?"

"Free drinks and this engraved glass, which I know is silly, but I thought it would be cool to have as a souvenir." she explained as Frank, the Quizmaster placed the engraved cup down on the podium he was standing at.

"Alright everyone," Frank said into the microphone "We've got some good teams by the looks of it tonight, along with our reigning champions, Sylvia and Ian Boyle, and our resident American team, Maggie and her lad, Clint." he winked at them and Maggie blushed.

"I'm sorry, he likes to tease me about being American." she said and he shook his head.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because the Americans _don't_ win at Pub challenge." she said and he raised an eyebrow before leaning forward slightly, and touching her hand.

"How would you like to win that cup tonight?" he asked and she smiled, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"First question," Frank said and they both looked towards the podium. "In the film 'The Sound of Music', what was the name of the eldest Von Trapp child?" There was a quick bell sound and Frank pointed to the woman who looked to be in her mid to late 40's, who wore a quite smug expression on her face.

"Liesl." she said loudly, her eyes landing on Maggie who pursed her lips lightly.

"I take it that's Mrs. Boyle?" Clint muttered to Maggie and she nodded.

"Next question; what is the capital city of Peru?" Clint's hand was on the bell before the Boyle's had a chance to register the question.

"Lima." he announced and Maggie looked at him, he smiled and she let out a small giggle.

"How did you know that?" she asked and he looked at the Boyles' who were glaring lightly at the younger American couple.

"I travel a lot." he said and looked back at Maggie.

As the rounds went on the questions grew harder. Maggie had a knack for music and arts questions he noticed, while he was good with geography and some history questions. Soon it was a bitter challenge between the two Americans and the Boyles' over who would win.

"I think we've got this." Clint said to Maggie who giggled lightly.

"You don't say?" she asked and he nodded, happy that he had decided to leave the safe house for a few hours.

"Are you having fun?" Clint asked Maggie who nodded her sparkling blue eyes full of mirth.

"Are you?" she asked and he smiled lightly as he nodded. Frank had taken a few minutes to count the score and the two of them were waiting for their drinks to come over. "You didn't have to play the game." she said and he shrugged.

"What else was I going to do tonight?" he asked and she smiled before she reached out and lightly brushed the spot on his light colored shirt. He looked down and then back at her.

"I have something that can get that out at home." she informed him, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, but her blue eyes looking up to meet his grey ones.

"You don't say." he said, reaching up to brush her hand with his.

"Sure, uh, you'd have to soak it for a little bit, but the stain will come out."

"What will we do while it's soaking?" he asked lowly, making her eyes snap to his. She smiled, leaned in and was about to say something when Frank stood up to the podium and tapped the microphone.

"It seems we have a tie." he said and everyone groaned softly. "So we're going to have one tie breaker question, for the win." he announced. "Between our reigning champions, The Boyles' and our surprising newcomers, Maggie and Clint." he said as he looked at the clipboard. "So, the tie breaking question, this is a history one you four. First one to ring in gets to answer, but if you guess wrong, the other team gets a chance to answer. We ready?" he looked at the Boyles' and then to Clint and Maggie, who nodded, he positioned his hand near the bell, and waited for Frank to ask the question. "In this year, Sylvia Plath committed suicide in London, the Beatles released their first album, and John F. Kennedy gave his 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech in West Berlin." he said and looked at the teams, Mrs. Boyle hit the bell instantly making Maggie groan softly, resting her forehead in her hands.

"1964!" Mrs. Boyle said smugly and Maggie's head shot up.

"That is the wrong answer." Frank said shaking his head.

"No, no, no, Meet the Beatles was released in 1964!" Mrs. Boyle protested as she jumped up.

"I know the answer!" Maggie cried slamming her hand on the bell.

"Let's hear it Maggie." Frank said looking at her.

"Contrary to popular belief and the slightly misleading name of Meet the Beatles, by the time the album had come out Sylvia Plath had been dead for eleven months, and the fact that JFK had been dead for two months, the first Beatles album was titled Please Please Me and was released March 22, 1963." she said and Clint looked up at her, slightly impressed before he looked to Frank who nodded.

"That's the right answer." Frank said and Maggie grinned like she had just won the lottery. She bit her bottom lip before extending her hand to Mrs. Boyle in an act that Clint couldn't help but wonder at. Mrs. Boyle ignored the gesture and turned around rolling her eyes making Frank sigh at her.

"Oh come on now lass, no hard feelings!" he chastised her, but handed the coveted engraved cup to Maggie who practically pranced back over to their table. Clint stood up and she threw her arms around him, he caught her and let her hug him tightly for a moment before she pulled back, still grinning.

"Well, let's see it." he said and she handed him the engraved glass. He took it and ran his thumb over the glass before looking at her. "Congratulations."

"I couldn't have done it without you." she said and he shrugged.

"I'm sure you could have found someone." he said casually and she shook her head.

"Nope, there's no one like you." she said and he smiled lightly. "Come on, have another drink with me." she said as she waved over a waitress. Clint smiled, her happiness was contagious, and as he sat down he pulled his chair closer to hers, slinging an arm around the back of her chair. When she looked at him, her blue eyes danced with joy and he felt himself drawn to the look, deciding somewhere in the back of his mind that it was the only look he ever wanted to see on her face.

* * *

Clint walked her home about an hour later, the two of them walked, somehow without him realizing it, hand in hand, her still holding the engraved glass like it was the golden idol.

"How long are you in Ireland?" she asked and he shrugged.

"As long as it takes to do my job." he answered.

"Ooh cryptic." she teased with a grin. "What is it you do, Mr. Clint?" she asked, before adding a teasing "If that is your real name." she giggled, faking an English accent and wrinkling her nose in this very adorable way when she did.

"That's my name," he nodded with a small chuckle. "As for my real job, well, if I told you my job, I'd have to kill you." he said seriously making her look at him for a moment before breaking out in a grin.

"You had me there for a second." she laughed and he smiled.

"I could tell." he said with a grin. "No, I uh, I'm a land surveyor, I was sent to Ireland to survey the land, and try to convince the land owners to sell some of it."

"Sell it to who?"

"The company I work for, we manufacture and test outdoor goods." he shrugged, using the cover he and Natasha were using.

"Outdoor goods? What like survival stuff?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, that's part of the job. I also test some of the survival stuff, they send me in the woods for a few days, I use the products, let them know how it works..." he said. "Why, do you know about that kind of stuff?" he asked and she nodded.

"Oh sure, my dad taught me about all kinds of that stuff." she said with a shrug.

"Your dad?"

"Yeah, Vernon." she nodded.

"Wait- Vernon- Vernon Nolan?" he asked and she nodded as she looked at him slightly surprised. "You're Margaret Nolan?"

"Yeah, did you read his book or something?" she asked with a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, when I was in college. We quote it back home at the home base in Iowa." he said quickly and she smiled.

"That's so cool. If we're lucky, maybe you'll still be around when he comes out. Daddy loves meeting his fans." she said with a grin.

"Maybe." he said thoughtfully to himself. "So how long have you been into outdoor survival?" he asked and she scoffed.

"Oh _wow_, I don't know." she grinned. "My whole life. Daddy taught me everything I need to know. Theoretically I could live in the woods for months." she nodded. "But I don't think I could, not really. I mean, sure I know a lot and everything, but I think I'd get lonely." she said decidedly. "But it's fun pretending. Like my friends out here, they do this really cool like three day scavenger hunt in the woods were we all team up, or we go alone into the woods for three days collecting everything on this massive list they write up, or we do the things on the list, and the last day we meet at these ruins and spend the night there before hiking out. I know it sounds totally lame, but it's really fun." she smiled and he shook his head.

"No, that sounds like a lot of fun." he said and she smiled.

"Well um," she nodded to a house. "This is me. I um, I had a lot of fun tonight." she said as she looked at him. While he wasn't extremely tall, she stood about an inch shorter than him, so it wasn't like she had to tilt her head far.

"So did I," he said as he stepped forward slightly, she leaned back against the wall and he put on hand against the wall, moving in close. She smiled as he leaned in, his lips brushed against hers, but stopped when they both heard someone behind him clear their throat.

"Uncle Seamus." she smiled at the man. "You're home early."

"I switched my shift tonight." he said and she nodded as he looked Clint over. "And who's this?" he asked. "Or did ya not think to get a name?" he asked, glaring at his young niece slightly.

"My name is Clint, Clint Francis." he said moving away from Maggie and extending his hand.

"Seamus Nolan." he said darkly before looking at Maggie. "Should ya not be gettin' to bed?" he asked and she nodded quickly.

"Good night Clint," she said looking at him apologetically. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"So did I." he nodded to her and then looked back at Seamus Nolan. He nodded to the man before turning and walking away.

* * *

About ten minutes later Clint got back to the base where an antsy Natasha Romanoff was waiting.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded.

"I bumped into on Margaret Nolan tonight." he said with a nod. "I'm fine by the way."

"I can see you're fine." she replied, more interested in the other thing he had said. "What do you mean you bumped into Margaret Nolan- What did you say to her?"

"Well technically she ran into me." he sighed as he looked down at his shirt. "She was at the bar I went to, we talked, we played the pub trivia, and kicked some ass I might add, uh, and I walked her home." he nodded.

"So basically you went on a date." Natasha said and he shrugged.

"Call it what you want, she let it slip that her dad is coming out here in a few weeks."

"Did she say from here?" she asked, interested and he shook his head.

"No, no she didn't." he said and she sighed.

"How do you know she didn't just let that slip because she made you?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Nah, she thinks I'm just ol' Clint Francis, land surveyor for Adventure Gear based in Lewis Park, Iowa." he said with a nod.

"We can work with that." Natasha said thoughtfully. "When are you going to see her again?"

"I didn't get to ask, her uncle got home early and scared her inside." he sighed.

"But you know where she lives."

"Aren't I good?" he smiled to himself and Natasha rolled her eyes with a smile at her partner's cockiness. "We can work with this." he said and she nodded.

"Yes we can." she said.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, I promise the story will be a bit different once I get it going a bit further, but for the time being you get to see Clint acting like a normal guy, enjoying his time at the bar, flirting, until he realizes he's


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey ya'll! Sorry about the note at the end of the last chapter, my computer for whatever reason cut the end of it off. It was just saying Clint realizes that he's sitting at a bar flirting with the daughter of his target, which we go into a little bit more in this chapter. For those of you who are aware of what happened to me last month, and who have been messaging me and keeping me in their prayers, I started counseling last week. I went to my second appointment this week, and so far I think things are going okay. I still haven't gotten into details of what happened in Vegas with her yet, but I've only seen her twice. It may take a little while, you know? Well, anyways, I just wanted to update those of you who have been there for me during this hard time. **_

_**Disclaimer: I own Marvel. That and that Gangnam Style song. It's stuck in my head!** _

* * *

It was three days before Clint made his next move.

Maggie was at a crafts fair with the waiter from the pub, Colin, and another girl when he made said move. She was smelling some flowers, her red hair was in a half ponytail up do, and she looked unbelievably cute wearing a white above the knee length dress showing off her incredible legs he had somehow missed the night they met, she had a brown belt just under her bust, which, though sort of small, looked right with her petite frame, and she was wearing a pair of brown leather cowboy boots, and a brown leather jacket.

He and Natasha were dressed normally, to blend into the crowd, and as they walked by he made it a point to bump into her slightly. "Oh, sorry." he said as he turned around, she turned at the same time and he didn't miss the way her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Hey, we've got to stop meeting like that." he said with a grin and her whole face lit up with a bright smile.

"Clint, oh my god!" she grinned. "It's so good to see you."

"Yeah you too. I'm sorry if uh, I got you in trouble the other night." he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, I'm an adult, what are they going to do, ground me?" she asked with a scoff and he chuckled.

"Were they at least happy you won the pub challenge?" he asked and she nodded.

"Impressed. A little annoyed because my aunt works with Mrs. Boyle at the flower shop, and Mrs. Boyle bitches about it all day, excuse my language, but I think she's glad someone knocked her off of the pedestal she had propped herself onto." she said and he chuckled before he turned to Natasha.

"This is my co-worker Natalie Rushman, Natalie, this is the girl I told you about, Maggie Nolan."

"It's nice to meet you." Natasha smiled. "Clint won't shut up about you." she winked at Maggie who blushed and Clint glared at Natasha like he was embarrassed.

"You had to tell her that huh, way to make me sound like a creep."

"Don't worry about it," the dark haired girl who was a little thick in the hips and bust next to Maggie said with a grin. "Maggs won't shut up 'bout you either. I'm Adele." she said sticking her hand out.

"Nice to meet you." Clint said as he shook her hand, and pointed at Colin.

"Kevin, right?" he asked and the tall gangly boy frowned as he put his hand on Maggie's shoulder.

"Colin." he said and Clint nodded.

"Right, sorry, kind of bad with names, I'm Clint."

"Yeah..." the tall boy ignored Clint's outstretched hand, earning him a glare from Maggie and an elbow in the ribs from Adele.

"So what brings you out here today?" Maggie asked Clint who shrugged.

"Well it's a nice day, Natalie dragged me out of the house." he shrugged.

"The house?"

"Yeah our company rented this house for us to use while we're checking out the land." he said with a shrug. "I was trying to do some geographical work, but someone wanted to check out the crafts fair." he said looking pointedly at Natasha who shrugged. "But uh, I'm glad I gave in." he smiled at Maggie who smiled back. "So have you seen anything good?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I dunno, we just got here..." she said and Adele perked up.

"Why don't we all explore together?" she asked and Natasha nodded.

"That sounds fun."

"If you don't mind us tagging along with you and your friends." Clint said to Maggie who shook her head.

"No, I mean, no I don't mind. It'll be fun." she nodded and Clint gave her a small half smile before offering her his hand, which she readily took, much to Colin's displeasure. Maggie was looking at some necklaces when Clint leaned over to her.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, I've been thinking about you a lot." he said softly in her ear. She looked at him and smiled lightly.

"Really?" she asked and he nodded.

"I had fun kicking butt at the trivia." he said and she laughed.

"What do you think?" she held up a necklace and he looked at it before he shook his head.

"It's not really you." he said and she put it down. His eyes danced over the necklaces before he leaned towards her. "Don't bother with these," he said. "They'll fall apart the second time you wear it" he informed her and she looked at him, before nodding. "I'd hate for you to waste your money."

"Thanks." she said. "So tell me something about yourself."

"Uh, like what?" he chuckled.

"I don't know. Something no one knows." she said and he smiled as he thought.

"Uh, well, when I enlisted I lied about my age." he nodded and she rose her eyebrows.

"You were in the army?" she asked.

"Air Force." he shook his head. "Though, technically I had to go through military training to get to the Air Force." he explained and she nodded.

"Did you see any action?"

"A little." he admitted. "It was awhile ago." he said and she nodded understanding him not wanting to talk about it.

"So, you and Natalie, you're not..." she shrugged and he chuckled as he caught her meaning.

"No, no." he shook his head. "No I'm single." he said and she nodded. "How about you? Any nice young man claim you as his home or here?" he asked and she laughed.

"Oh because you're so old." she rolled her eyes and he chuckled.

"Don't change the subject Maggs." he said and she smiled at the nickname.

"Well there's this one guy, but we just met." she sighed rolling her eyes.

"Oh really?" he asked. "Well maybe I can help, what's the problem?" he asked and she sighed.

"Well, he's old." she sighed and he shot her a look.

"I'm kidding." she said. "I think the only problem is we just met, and I think he likes me back, I mean, I'm pretty darn sure he does, but he hasn't asked me out on a date yet." she sighed.

"Maybe he's just enjoying the time he's spending with you now." he said and she shrugged.

"Maybe." she sighed. "And _maybe_ he's chickenshit." she sighed and he looked at her slightly startled, and even more amused.

"_Excuse me_?" he asked with a laugh. "Care to run that one by me again?"

"You heard me." she said simply, but continued to grin. "I called you a chickenshit."

"Okay, well, what if I asked you out, right now?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Well I couldn't call you chickenshit then could I?" she asked and the corner of his mouth rose in a slightly amused smile.

"How 'bout it then Nolan? You want to have dinner with me?" he asked and she smiled.

"I'd love to." she said and he nodded.

"Good, so I'm no longer chickenshit, right?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Not you." she said and he nodded.

"I have some work I need to finish tonight, but how about Tuesday night?" he asked and she nodded.

"That sounds great." she grinned.

"Then it's settled." he said before he took her hand and they two of them walked to catch up with Adele and Natasha who were struggling to keep Colin from interrupting Clint and Maggie's moment.

* * *

"What are you going to wear?" Natasha asked and Clint shrugged.

"I didn't exactly pack for dating." he said and she nodded as she walked into his bedroom.

"You have literally nothing to wear." she said decidedly.

"Thank you Natasha." he muttered.

"What's that clothing shop in town called?"

"Harrigan's."

"Get in the car." she said and he followed her to the car. About two minutes later Natasha pulled up to the store and Clint hopped out of the car, breathing heavily. There weren't many things that put Clint Barton on edge, but Natasha's driving was one of them. After stepping into the store he walked over to a rack and held up a shirt. Natasha took one look at him, and then rolled her eyes before walking to a different rack. She picked out a few shirts and handed them to him before shoving him into the changing room.

"What size pants do you wear?" she asked him. He told her and she chucked over a few pairs of nice jeans, he pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black button down shirt.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked as he stepped out of the dressing room.

"It's better then what you had." Natasha pointed out and he nodded after a moment. He ended up buying the shirts and jeans and a few undershirts, before going back to the safe house.

When Thursday came around Clint found himself putting on his new dark jeans, a black undershirt and a navy blue button down shirt that he tucked into his pants, and wore with a black leather belt. He took the car he and Natasha had been using after putting his wallet into his back pocket.

"Have a good time." Natasha called and he smiled before leaving. When he got to Maggie's he walked up to the door and knocked on it, the door was opened by a young girl with curly blonde hair, and a mess of freckles across her nose, she looked to be about twelve, and was reaching that age where she went through an awkward growth spurt, she was tall and lanky, but was at the age where she could no longer scrape her knees up and get away with it.

"Hi, is Maggie home?" Clint asked and she looked him over before slamming the door in his face. He stood there for a moment, before the door was opened again, this time by an older portly woman with graying blonde hair that was pulled in a tight bun. She looked Clint over before holding the door open.

"You must be Mr. Francis." she said as he stepped into the house. "Sarah, go get Margaret." she instructed the twelve year old girl who ran up the stairs.

"I'm Clint Francis, yeah." Clint said as he extended his hand.

"Lorna Nolan." the older woman had a surprisingly strong grip. "So you're the young man that helped put Sylvia Boyle in here place, aren't you?" she asked and he nodded.

"That was mostly your niece, but I helped a little." Clint nodded. "I understand that uh, I've made Mrs. Boyle hard to work with, I'm sorry about that." he said as he followed Mrs. Nolan into the living room.

"Sylvia needed to get off her high horse." she said with a wave of her hand. "Margaret seems quite keen on you." she said pointedly. "How long are you in country?"

"Two months tops." he replied.

"She leaves at the end of the summer." she informed him and he nodded.

"She mentioned it, yeah." he answered.

"And you're based in Iowa? That's quite a ways from California."

"With all due respect ma'am, I'm not planning a future quite yet. I just want to get through tonight." he smiled.

"Aunt Lonnie!" a voice said from the doorway and Clint jumped up when he saw Maggie standing there. "Stop interrogating him, you're freaking him out and I don't blame him." she scolded and Clint was surprised to see the older woman's mouth rise into a smile.

"Have a nice time, be back before your uncle Seamus tonight." she warned and Maggie nodded.

"Good night." she said to her aunt before taking Clint's hand and led him out of the house. "Hi." she smiled at him when they got outside. "I'm so sorry about the third degree!"

"It's fine, she's just looking out for you." he said shaking his head. "I'm actually surprised you got her to smile."

"Oh god, I know right." she shook her head. "I swear, this might be the first summer she's smiled at me since I was like seven and stopped going to church." she rolled her eyes as he walked over to the car.

He held open her door for her and she smiled at him as she got into the passenger's seat. He closed her door when she was inside and walked around to the driver's seat. He got into the car and looked over at her as she buckled up; she looked at him and smiled brightly.

Her smile was infectious and he found himself smiling back as she reached over and lightly brushed her fingers over his arm. "I like this shirt." she said and he chuckled.

"Well, it's dark so if you decide to spill something on it, it won't show."

"That's smart." she nodded and he took the hand that was still resting on his arm and lifted it to his mouth. He gently kissed her knuckles making her face turn bright red and she bit her lip. "Oh wow." she said softly and giggled nervously.

"I hope you're hungry." Clint said as he let go of her hand and started up the car. He started to drive and she frowned lightly when she realized they were driving out of town.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"There's a restaurant in the next town over, Dynasty."

"I know it, I've never been there." she said and he nodded.

"Yeah, me either." he replied. "I hope you feel like trying something new." The two of them talked while driving to Dynasty, him about Clint Francis' job testing outdoor survival gear, and she told him about her job as a baking assistant.

* * *

When they got to Dynasty, Clint went to talk to the hostess as Maggie stood there looking around. It was a dimly lit, very intimate restaurant, with small square tabled covered in burnt orange tablecloths, each table had a small dish of water with a pale purple floating flower candle in it. The atmosphere was very relaxed and very efficient to ensure the customers had the best time they could while dining there. As she stood there, looking around the restaurant she didn't notice Clint come up behind her.

"They'll have a table ready for us in a minute." he told her and she looked at him, and then smiled. "I just realized," he said and she looked at him curiously. "I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight." She smiled and looked down at her dress.

The top half was made of a lacy crème material that went to her waist; it turned into a flowey knee length pale blue skirt, the top and bottom were separated by a tan tie belt. She was wearing a pair of pale blue flats that matched the color of her skirt, and her hair hung around her shoulders in light curls.

"You look pretty great yourself." she smiled. He was about to say something when the hostess walked over.

"Mr. Francis?" she asked and he looked at her. "Your table is ready."

"Thanks." he said as he put his hand on Maggie's lower back, they followed the hostess to the table and he pulled the chair out for her, allowing her to sit down before he took his seat. The hostess gave them their menus and the wine list before telling them about the specials for the night, and leaving.

"This place is really nice." she said softly to him and he looked around.

"Well it's different than anything we've got in Iowa." he said and she smiled.

"So what is Iowa like?" she asked after a waiter had come and

"Well, as I'm sure you know, it is the future birthplace of James Kirk." he said making her nod.

"Really?" she asked pretending to be interested. He grinned and she giggled.

"I'm just messing around, someone said that to me at the last place I my work sent me, this uh, this guy who took the fact that I was from Iowa as an invitation to talk about Star Trek for an hour." he explained and she laughed. "No, uh, but Iowa, it's- I don't spend much time there," he shook his head. "I mostly just travel for work."

"I don't get to travel much." she said softly. "Only place I ever go is here." she shrugged. "My dad is the one who gets to travel." she sighed.

"Where's he working now?" he asked and then held up his hand. "If I'm allowed to ask."

"Well, you aren't going to tell anyone back in Iowa, right?"

"Scout's honor." he held up three fingers and she nodded.

"He's in- Oh, thank you." she smiled at the waiter who brought their food.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" the waiter asked. "Some more wine for the lady?"

"Oh, yes thanks." she smiled and Clint nodded.

"I'm alright." he said to the waiter.

"Right, sorry, uh, my dad is somewhere in uh, Vietnam I think." she said with a small frown. "I'm not really sure to be honest, I mean, with my dad, it's... He'll tell you one thing, and do another."

"You two don't get along?" he asked and she looked up from her food.

"Oh no, no, don't get me wrong, I love my dad, it's just... I don't want to ruin your image of him, I know you're a fan-"

"Hey," he reached across the table and took her hand. "I've never met your father. I only know him through the books he's written, nothing you say can hurt my image of someone I don't know." he told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well that's the point Clint, what I say can ruin your image of him because you don't know him."

"To be honest, even if I were to meet him, I'd much rather know you." he told her and she smiled. "So go on."

"You know it's not really the type of thing you talk about on a first date." she pointed out and he nodded.

"Fair enough, we'll talk about something else." he said and she nodded.

"Sounds good." she said quickly.

"So tell me do you know anything about trails around here?" he asked and she nodded slowly. The waiter brought her some more wine and left them alone again.

"Yeah uh, I used to go hiking all the time." she told him and he nodded.

"Yeah the company sent me some stuff to test out, want to come with?" he asked and she nodded.

"Sounds like fun." she replied.

After dinner they drove back to town, when they got to her aunt and uncle's house she looked at him as he parked the car. "I'm sorry about earlier." she said and he looked at her.

"For what?" he asked.

"For- when we were talking about my dad." she said and he shook his head.

"Ah, don't worry about it." he shrugged. "I don't want you to think I asked you out just because of who your dad is."

"No, you only asked me out because I called you a chickenshit." she sighed and he laughed.

"You know you're the only girl who's ever called me that." he said and she smiled. "Besides, I'd have asked you out anyway." he reached over and brushed a lock of curly red hair behind her ear making her look at him.

She leaned in and Clint moved forward, catching her lips with his, kissing her like he had wanted to the night they met. Clint felt one of her hands rest on his knee while the other moved up his chest, and rested where his neck and his shoulder met. He was happy he had unbuckled his seatbelt before they did this, one of his hands stayed cupping her face while the other was resting on her waist.

When they broke apart Maggie looked at the clock in the car and then sighed. "Are we okay?" Clint asked and she nodded as she looked back him.

"Yeah, he doesn't get home for awhile." she looked at him, and he swallowed before he smiled.

"Should I pick you up tomorrow then?" he asked and she nodded.

"Right, yeah, hiking, I know a great trail." she smiled and he nodded.

"Great," he said before he opened his car door. He got out and walked around to her side and opened the door, before he walked her up to the house.

"I had a nice time Clint." she said as she stood there, holding her small clutch awkwardly.

"Oh, wait, that reminds me, I grabbed something for you." he said before reaching into his pocket and producing the small floating candle from the dinner table. "You said you liked it." he said with a grin and she took it, brushing her delicate fingers against his rough ones, before looking at him.

"God- I don't want to ruin anything by saying this, but this is the best first date." she grinned and he chuckled. "What time should we plan for tomorrow?" she asked.

"Uh, how about three, I've got some stuff to do in the morning." he told her and she nodded.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow." she said and opened the door to the house. She paused, and turned back to him before leaning in and kissing him gently, but as soon as he started to respond, she pulled back, then planted on final peck to his lips before turning and walking inside. "Good night." she said to him and he smiled.

"Good night." he said and she shut the door. A moment later he drove back to the safe house.

* * *

"Well?" Natasha demanded when he walked in.

"I was so fucking close Nat." he sighed as he threw himself on the couch. "She- She was so close, she wanted to tell me everything, and this freaking waiter has to show up and she- she got nervous or something, she started getting all defensive, and I let her drop it."

"Clint you had no choice." Natasha told him. "If she'd have suspected anything she'd have given you wrong information, or left you in the restaurant or shut down entirely. Did she do any of those?"

"No."

"Did you make another date?"

"Yeah, we're going hiking tomorrow." he nodded.

"Then she still trusts you." she informed him and he nodded. "Did you get anything?"

"Just that she thinks he's in Vietnam." he replied and she moved to the map on the wall and picked up a red pin and pushed it into Vietnam. "You know it's usually you who has to go undercover like this." Clint said as he stretched out on the couch.

"Too bad she's not into girls huh?" she asked and Clint scoffed.

"I say that about every girl." he joked and then ducked the plastic cup Natasha had thrown at him.

"You better get some rest." she told him. "You've got a date." He sighed as he stood up.

"One thing I'll say for her," he said and Natasha looked at him. "She's pretty darn cute."

"Clint," Natasha said warningly. "You've got to keep your head in the game."

"I know, I am." he said quickly. She sighed and shook her head before looking back to the map as Clint stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"What could he be doing in Vietnam?" she asked softly.

"More like whose he doing in Vietnam?" Clint asked.

"When did she say he was coming here?"

"In a few weeks."

"We have until that time to find out who he could be taking out in Vietnam, and then figuring out our plan for when he comes here." she said and he nodded as he popped the cap off of the beer he pulled from the fridge. He tipped the beer to his lips, and thought about how only twenty minutes ago her lips had been on his. He smiled at the thought, and sipped his beer. "Did you hear me?" Natasha asked and Clint looked at her questioningly. "I said we have to report in tomorrow." she repeated and he nodded.

"I remember." he replied.

"Fury will want more than this."

"Yeah will next time I want Fury to give us an assignment that doesn't consist of "Sit and wait until the target shows up"." Clint muttered as he walked across the living room, pulling the bottom of his shirt out of his jeans.

"Where are you going?" Natasha asked.

"To bed." he replied. "We've got to call Fury tomorrow." with that he turned and walked to his bedroom, his mind on the date he had just had with the daughter of Vernon Nolan, one of the most elusive assassins he'd had the displeasure of having to track down.

When he finally got what he had come for he would be so happy to be able to say he had been the one to put an arrow through Vernon's eye. But even as he thought that, his mind wandered to Maggie. What would Vernon think if he had the chance to know his daughter had been on a date with Clint Barton?

Clint smirked at the thought as he took off the belt and shimmied out of his jeans, then took off the button down shirt. He flopped back onto his bed in his boxers and shirt and picked up his beer as he hooked his right arm under his head, laying there thinking about Maggie. He knew in the back of his mind he shouldn't be thinking about the target's daughter, but even so, he couldn't help but look forward to seeing her again the next day.

* * *

_**I hope you're enjoying the story so far. **_

_**Reviews make me write faster! ;D** _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey ya'll. I just want to say, sorry for the slow beginning, but I've got to establish a relationship between Maggie and Clint before the story can go where I want it to. I'm also working on my third screenplay, so sometimes I find myself getting detached from this story. I hope it doesn't show in my writing. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel. Never have... Never will... Does Stan Lee have a son? ;)**_

* * *

The next day Clint got to Maggie's to find her waiting outside. She waved to him as he pulled up and jumped into the car before he had time to stop it. "My uncle Seamus is home, let's just go." she said to him and he frowned lightly.

"You sure you don't want me to come in and meet him?" he asked and she nodded quickly.

"I'm sure." she said quickly and he shrugged.

"Okay." he agreed and she sighed with a smile before putting her backpack in the back seat.

"Sorry, hi." she grinned and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He quickly turned his head and caught her lips with his. She giggled and he smiled, before she looked back at the house quickly.

"What are you wearing?" Clint asked and she looked back at him.

"What?" she asked and he reached up to pluck the straw cowboy hat from her head. He smirked looking at the cowboy hat lined in puka shells and she crossed her arms. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, I like it." he replied as he placed the hat on his head. She busted up laughing as he grinned looking at her. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think you're adorable." she said honestly and he grinned as he looked back at her. He leaned over the seats, but something caught her eye. She looked over at the house and then looked down at her legs. He looked up at the house and saw her uncle Seamus exiting the house.

"What's his problem?" he asked and she shook her head.

"We should really go, we don't want to get caught out there after dark." she told him and he stared at her for a minute before he put the car into drive and drove away from the house. After five minutes of driving he took the hat off and put it back on her head, she looked out the window and he looked over to her as she crossed one leg over the other, showing off her long legs that looked even longer because of the jean shorts she was wearing.

When they got to the start of a camping site she had told him about he pulled into a parking spot and parked the car. Maggie hopped out of the car and opened the back door to grab her backpack. She slung it over her shoulders and fixed her hat while Clint pulled his backpack from the back seat of the car. "So how long is the trail?" he asked as she cracked her neck, and then propped her left foot up on a rock and did a quick stretch.

"It's about a mile, and it dead ends at a waterfall." she told him. "It's really awesome, I love it here."

"Sounds nice." he replied and she nodded eagerly.

"You've got enough water for yourself and everything right?" she asked and he nodded.

"How about you?" he asked and she smiled.

"Got my trusty camelbak." she gestured to her backpack and he before she walked over to him and took his hand. She led him to a parting in the trees where a path started just behind, Clint was surprised at how well she handled the constant change in the trail, the parts that went uphill, the parts that went downhill, the part where five feet of the path was covered by a stream and they had to "Schlep" through it as she said.

He really shouldn't have been surprised considering whom her father was, but when she went on chatting about her job, or art, or things like that, Clint found it easy to forget all about her father, and the whole reason he had asked her out on that date. The mile hike went by smoothly, as did their conversation. He found himself easing up around her, and when they finally got to the waterfall Clint realized the girl was still full of surprises.

After they ate some food Maggie had brought with her on a large flat rock overlooking the pool under the waterfall Maggie unlaced her hiking shoes and kicked them off before taking off her socks and rolling them up. She placed them inside of one of her shoes and looked at Clint who was watching her before she stood up. She took her cowboy hat off and placed it on Clint's head with a wink before she walked over to the edge of the rock.

"What are you-" he didn't get to finish his question because the next thing he knew Maggie had jumped off the rock and right into the large pool below them. He looked down at her as she surfaced and grinned at him.

"Come on in!" she called.

"You're crazy you know that?" he asked and she nodded eagerly.

"What are you, chicken?!" she shouted at him. Clint sighed as he unlaced his boots and put them to the side. He took off his socks; belt and he hid the knife he had clipped to the inside of his pants in his backpack before he pulled his shirt off and looked over the edge of the rock. "Bawk bawk bawk!" she teased and he shook his head, before taking off his dark sunglasses.

"Better look out Nolan, you keep calling me names!" he called down to her.

"Whatcha gonna do about it from up there?" she called back to him and he stepped back a few feet before running forward and jumping off the edge of the rock.

He splashed into the water, it was chilly, but not freezing and felt amazing on the humid day, he swam to the surface and heard Maggie cheering. "How 'bout that?" he asked as she clapped from where she was treading water.

"I'd say a seven for the jump and a six for the landing." she nodded.

"A _six_?!" he asked and she nodded. "Are you nuts! That was a perfect figure cannonball! That's worth at _least_, a steady seven and a half."

"I call it like I see it Francis." she shook her head.

"You're crazy! You think you can do better?" he asked and she nodded.

"Oh I know I can do better." she scoffed.

"Go on then." he said as she splashed her. "Put your splash where your mouth is."

"Fine then." she responded before swimming to the edge of the pool. She got out and climbed the rock, the sunlight coming through the trees made the water clinging to her skin glisten, he moved to the side of the pool, still treading water as she got to the top of the rock.

"I should warn you, I'm known in these parts as the splash champion." she said as she looked down at him.

"Oh really?"

"Haven't lost a challenge yet." she replied.

"Well for someone who claims to be the splash champion, you're doing an awful lot of talking, and not very much splashing." he retorted. She backed up a few feet, and then went running off the edge, wrapping her arms around her knees in a cannonball.

"What now?" she asked when she surfaced.

"Booo." Clint teased as he held his thumb down.

"What?!" she asked in shock and he grinned.

"Let me show you how it's done." he told her as he climbed out of the pool and walked over to the rock. He climbed back up it and jumped into the water, making a large splash. "How was that?" he asked and she waved her hand at him.

"What. Ever." she scoffed and he laughed as she climbed out of the water. He watched her as she wrung out her hair and she looked at him. "See something you like?" she asked.

"Yeah." he answered honestly and she laughed before backing up and jumping into the water from where she had been standing. He watched as she swam over to him, and popped up right in front of him.

"Hey," she breathed and he gave her a small half smile.

"Hey." he replied before she hooked her arms around his neck. He held onto her waist, the water pushed her shirt up, so his hands held onto her bare skin, running his hands up her waist, she drew closer to him, before kissing him gently. "You know," he said when she broke the kiss. "You make it really hard to be a nice guy when you do that."

"So don't be." she replied and he made a face.

"You don't mean that." he said to her and she frowned lightly.

"You said it yourself, you're not planning on having a future with me, so why not-"

"I never said that." he said quickly and her frown deepened.

"Yes you did, when you were with my aunt, you said-"

"No, Maggs, you misheard me!" he said shaking his head as he let go of her and pulled himself out of the pool. He sat on a rock next to the water and watched as she pulled herself out as well. "Your aunt was practically asking me if I was planning on moving to California when the summer was over. I just told her I wasn't planning my future, not that I wasn't planning on having a future with you." he told her. "And besides, would you want me to be planning a future with you, I mean if you ask me, that's pretty creepy."

"It is pretty creepy." she agreed and he nodded, taking her hand in one hand.

"I say," he said as he cupped her face with his other hand. "We have a good time now, and we figure out all of that other stuff later, okay?" he asked and she nodded. "I'm a nice guy Maggs, let me do things right." he said softly and she stared at him, he could tell by her expression she had never had a guy say something like that to her before. She was hooked. Clint felt a small twinge of guilt in his gut when he realized that, but it was pushed out of his mind when she leaned over and promptly pushed him back into the water.

The two of them dried out for awhile, laying on the rocks, basking in the sun that came through the canopy of trees. "You know when I was a kid I used to think there was faeries in the forest."

"Faeries, really?" Clint asked and she hummed in response.

"My older sister used to read me these stories about faeries, and my dad's sister, my aunt Lilith would tell me stories of faeries in Ireland." she said, taking an Irish accent that made him chuckle.

"What's the difference between American fairy tales, and Irish fairy tales?" he asked.

"Oh there's a huge difference." she rolled over on her stomach and looked at him. He looked over at her, hooking his right arm under his head and watching as she picked up a leaf that had fallen. "In America, the faeries are tiny and kind, and who steal your fallen out teeth in exchange for money," she explained making him chuckle. "But in Ireland, faeries can take whatever form they want."

"Anything?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, kinda funny, most of them end up taking the forms of beautiful women that no man can deny, and then the lure them into bad things," she paused as she twirled the leaf around between her fingers. "Kind of like a siren." she nodded.

"Is part of their ritual explaining what they are in a hypothetical perspective and then taking the guy they trick captive or something?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, why?"

"Just trying to figure you out." he said and she smiled lightly.

"When I was a kid I broke my ankle here." she said as she looked back at the rock they had been jumping off of. "Right over there, my foot got stuck between those two rocks, and I lost my balance." she explained and he winced. "I was about nine- maybe ten." she explained and he nodded, listening. "When I was crying and my friends were freaking out, trying to figure out what to do, this woman comes over to us, she said she was walking nearby and she heard me crying, and she brought me back to Colin's older brother's car, and he took me to the hospital."

"Who was she?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Like I said, she claimed to be a hiker, but she didn't look like a hiker to me." she explained and he nodded.

"Think she was a faerie?" he asked and she smiled lightly.

"You probably think I'm nuts, right?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I think it's cute." he replied and she smiled deeper, the dimple in her left cheek sinking in slightly. He reached over and gently ran his thumb over it, before he sat up, and groaned slightly as he stretched. "It's getting late." he said looking around. The sun had started to set and Maggie sighed as she got up as well.

They climbed back onto the rock and put their socks and shoes back on, Maggie put on her straw cowboy hat and handed Clint his backpack before putting her own back on. They walked the mile back to the car and Clint drove them back into town. "You want to go grab a drink, get something to eat?" he asked and she nodded.

"Sounds good." she agreed and he pulled up at the pub. They walked inside and were led to a table and handed some menus. "What do you want to drink?" Maggie asked and Clint shrugged.

"Whatever you're having." he said and she walked over to the bar making him wince. What if she ordered some weird girly drink? He sighed and the decided, obviously he'd drink it. He was saved from that train of thought when she returned with two beers.

"Hope you like Guinness." she said as she set the drink down in front of him.

"Thanks." he said as he picked it up and tipped the glass back, and drank it. They ordered their food, and soon Colin came out carrying it, he paused when he saw Maggie and Clint sitting at the table, huffed a long sigh, and then continued to the oblivious couple's table. Clint had his hand outstretched to Maggie who was running her finger along his palm.

"-Your love line," she said as she pointed to a line on his hand.

"What's it say?"

"Well it doesn't say anything Clint, it's your hand." she joked and he rolled his eyes.

"Ohh." he groaned.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." she giggled.

"Maggie, did you order the Sheppard's pie?"

"Come on Colin, you know I'm a vegetarian." she said as she looked up at him.

"You ate shrimp last night." Clint pointed out and she shrugged.

"So I'm a pescatarian." she said rolling her eyes as Colin put down the grilled cheese and chips she had ordered special. It wasn't on the menu, but the cook didn't have a problem making it for her.

"Is it weird that I'm eating meat in front of you?" Clint asked and she shook her head.

"No no, not at all." she said with a small smile. "Don't worry, I have no problem cooking meat, I just choose not to eat it." she explained. "But I can make a mean steak, you should try it sometime, you'd love it, and the blood might do you some good, get some iron in your body."

"You're Irish right?"

"Half."

"So why do you sound like every Italian I've ever known?"

"Because that's the other half sweetheart." she said and he nodded.

"Yeah that makes sense." he said softly and she tried not to smile, but Clint could see her dimple sinking into her cheek. He leaned forward and kissed it gently making her grin before they both realized Colin was still standing there.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" he managed to ask as he clenched his teeth.

"I think we're alright Colin, thanks." Clint said as he looked at Maggie. Colin looked at Maggie who nodded.

"We're fine Colin." she said to her old friend and he walked to the back very quickly. A moment later they heard something fall over and Clint looked at Maggie questioningly. "Don't ask." she muttered and Clint shrugged.

"I was just going to ask when you were going to come over and make me that steak." he said casually and she nodded.

"Mmhmm, suure." she said as she picked up her grilled cheese. She took a large bite of it and sighed.

"Okay fine, you caught me." he said as he gently put his hand on her knee, lightly running his thumb over it. "What's his deal?"

"It's... Complicated." she sighed.

"Well I mean, it's not like you guys ever went out or anything right?"

"No, never. He's just been a pill lately because he confessed he had feeling for me at the beginning of the summer, and I didn't dive into his arms and beg to marry him on the spot." she sighed. "He's been my best friend since I was like five and I just- I think of him like a brother." she shrugged.

"Did he use the L word?" he asked and she nodded. "Yikes, I hope you were nice about it." he said and she nodded again.

"I explained to him that I just don't feel that way about him, and that we just weren't meant to be together." she explained softly. "He's been pretty upset at me anytime I look at another guy since."

"Which explains why he hates me." Clint said and she shook her head.

"He doesn't hate you, he's just hurt." she shrugged. After they finished their meal Clint paid, much to Maggie's protest, and he drove her home.

"You know one of these days I'll have to face your uncle again." he told her and she nodded.

"Yeah I know. But not right now." she shook her head and he smiled.

"Okay." he agreed. He got out of the car and walked her to the door.

"So, I had fun." she said with a smile.

"So did I." he told her. "I have some stuff to do these next couple of days, but I'll call you, okay?" he asked and she nodded before she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He held her close for a moment kissing her back before slowly breaking the kiss. "You should get inside before your uncle gets home."

"I know." she sighed.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" he asked and she nodded as she let go of him. He went back to the car and waited for her to go inside before he drove back to the safe house and went straight to the bathroom.

After a shower- one he had to turn into a cold shower as he remembered the way she looked all wet climbing up the rock earlier in the day- Clint pulled on a pair of boxers and a tee shirt and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**Please don't forget to review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey ya'll, here's chapter four! I hope you enjoy it! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel characters. Just Maggie and her friends.** _

* * *

"So has he called yet?" Adele asked Maggie as she helped her friend paint her toenails a brilliant shade of purple.

"Yeah, he called last night." Maggie responded, as she pained Adele's toenails a powder blue color.

"And?"

"And Uncle Seamus hung up on him." she sighed and Adele frowned. "He has been so weird this summer and I have no idea why!"

"Oh honey, Colin didn't tell you?" Adele asked and Maggie shook her head. "Well remember when Colin made that huge romantic scene?" Maggie nodded. "Well earlier this year he went to your uncle and asked his permission to talk to your father to ask his permission to date you." Adele sighed. "So when you said no to him, you pretty much said no to your uncle's choice and your father's decision."

"Okay, that makes sense." Maggie said as she stared at Adele's feet.

"What the hell is up with your dad anyways?"

"What?"

"I mean his crazy need to control everything you do." she sighed. "I mean, he's practically trying to betroth you to Colin. Wonder what he's getting out of the deal." she muttered and Maggie laughed. "Free drinks whenever he goes down to the pub."

"Oh thanks Adele." Maggie laughed.

"I'd sell you off to Colin for that." Adele muttered and Maggie rolled her eyes. "So, did you end up getting to talk to Clint?"

"No, last night was uncle Seamus' night off, he kept the phone next to him all night."

"Seriously, go online and get those roaming minutes on your cell phone, that's insane. They can't keep treating you like you're four."

"I didn't bring it."

"You didn't- God, no wonder they can get away with treating you like you're four!" Adele shouted and Maggie shook her head as she picked up her soda and took a drink of it. "Here, call him now." Adele said as she picked up her iPhone and handed it to Maggie. Maggie dialed the number and Adele reached over and put it on speaker phone.

"Hello?" a female voice answered the phone and Adele frowned.

"Hey, uh, is Clint there?" Maggie asked.

"Is this Maggie?"

"Yeah..."

"It's Natalie." she said and Maggie grinned.

"Oh hey Natalie, how are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, here, let me get Clint for you." she said and a moment later the phone was picked up.

"Hey Maggie."

"Hey Clint, I am so sorry about last night."

"It's alright." he replied. "I uh, had a nice chat with your uncle."

"Oh god, what did he say?" she asked.

"Oh, just something about the appropriate times for a man to call a woman- or something like that."

"Oh wow-"

"And what, pray tell, is the appropriate time to call a woman?" Adele asked loudly and Maggie groaned.

"Hi Adele." Clint said after a moment.

"Hey there lover boy. So, spill, when is the appropriate time to call a woman?"

"When they've got permission from the woman's father to do so." he replied.

"Oh god Clint-"

"I told you uncle I'd be happy to ask your father permission to call you, but seeing as no one knows where he is, in the mean time, I'll just go by what you want." he told her and she smiled.

"You said that?" she asked softly.

"Course I did." he replied. "Then he hung up on me."

"Well, to make up eavesdropping, and everything, Adele offered up her apartment for me to cook you dinner." Maggie said quickly and Adele glared at Maggie before rolling her eyes.

"I'm going to my mum's for the weekend anyway." Adele said and there was a pause.

"What time do you want me over?" Clint asked and Maggie grinned.

"Why don't we say seven?" she asked and Adele nodded.

"Sure, what's the address?" he asked. Adele gave it to him, and then hung up.

"You bitch!"

"You just had to speak up!" Maggie giggled as she looked at her best friend. "Oh god, I can't believe I said that!"

"Look, Maggs, I'm all for you two getting your rocks off, but if you do it, do it in the spare bedroom." Adele said casually and Maggie lightly swatted her friend's shoulder.

"Well I've got four hours before he shows up. I think we should go grocery shopping." she said to Adele who nodded as she jumped up.

"Come boy wonder! To the grocery store!"

"I'm not wearing the cape."

"Party pooper."

Dinner that night went by great, there was almost no mention of Maggie's family, or anything like that, it was just a nice dinner where the two of them were able to sit down and talk.

"So, I was wondering," Maggie said to Clint who looked at her curiously. "Do you remember that scavenger hunt I told you about?"

"Yeah, the three day long one." he said with a nod and she nodded.

"Right, well, I was thinking, maybe, do you want to go with me to that? Like, would it be something you would be interested in?" she asked and he thought for a moment.

"I don't see why not. How many people would be on our team?"

"Just me and you." she said and he nodded.

"Do we know what we're looking for?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, have you ever heard of Geocaching?" she asked.

* * *

"What exactly are we looking for?" Clint asked Maggie the morning they started the three day scavenger hunt.

"Well, remember how I told you about Geocaching?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, Paul- You'll meet him tomorrow," she quickly explained. "He's gone out in the woods, and he's hidden clues, we're going to try to find as many spots as we can by tomorrow, no matter where we are, or how many items we've found by tomorrow at five, we've got an hour to get to the ruins, where we'll camp out, we'll all be together, and Paul will go through everything, and we'll find out who's done the most."

"You really like challenges huh?" Clint asked and she nodded.

"I love it." she replied as they pulled up at the parking spot.

"So do we know where everything is?" he asked.

"No, we've got the longitude and latitude of our first one, each person has a different first cache, and from there, we're all looking for the same things. We get points depending on who gets there first, depending on the cache, there might be a container with a notebook in it, where we'd write down our team name and the time we found it, I always like to take a picture with my camera showing the time on it, just in case someone tries to take credit for a time before mine, which is a real dick thing to do." she sighed. "From then, it would be a visual cache, where we'd take a picture in front of something, or doing something, it could be a puzzle cache, where we have to figure out a puzzle to find the next one, it's great."

"Sounds good." he said and she nodded as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. He followed her lead, getting out of the car, he took his backpack from the trunk of the car, the large metal case at the bottom weighed him down slightly, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. She stretched a little before she put her backpack on, and started walking towards a group of people who were waiting. He locked the car and followed after her. Adele was standing there chatting with Maggie, while Colin talked with some other guys, all of them shooting Clint dirty looks.

"So, where's your first find?" Adele asked.

"Uh, let me see..." Maggie pulled the GPS from her pocket and typed in the longitude and latitude before showing it to her friend, "Near the big oak." she said and Adele nodded.

"We're close to there, we're at the old house."

"Oh Christ that's creepy."

"I know right. I think Paul did that on purpose. He's just fucking with me."

"Oh you know Paul." Maggie chuckled. "And seeing as I do too, we'll all probably be through that death trap at some point or another."

"So lover boy, are you ready for some fun? Think you can handle the woods for a few days?"

"I've handled worst." he shrugged.

"Clint tests survival gear for a living; this should be like a vacation to him." Maggie said and Clint took her hand.

"Well with you here it will be." he said and she turned pink, but smiled.

"You two are so-"

"Is everyone here?" a guy's voice rang out and everyone grew quiet. "Alright, look like we're all here," he said as he looked over the groups.

"That's Paul." Maggie said softly to Clint who nodded, looking over the ebony skinned Englishman who was talking to the crowd.

"He's not Irish."

"No, he moved here from London about five years ago, and he was the one who got everyone into geocaching." she explained. "He works at the newspaper, running their website."

"Right then, you've all got your assignments, and seeing as you're here, I assume you all have chosen to accept them." he said with a grin and a few people chuckled.

"He likes to pretend he's Charlie and we're his Angels." she said softly and Clint chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled as he pressed his lips to her temple, and looked at him.

"Alright everyone, I'll see you all tomorrow, No later than six o'clock. You get there later than six, and you're counted out and you know it." Paul said to everyone. "Now. Let's treasure hunt." he winked and people laughed before starting to disperse.

"You know where our first cache is?" Clint asked and Maggie nodded.

"Yeah, it's near this big oak tree." she said as she handed him the GPS.

"That doesn't say that on here." he said as he looked at it.

"I grew up in these woods," she told him. "I know them like the back of my hand." Clint followed her towards the area on the GPS, when they finally got to the large oak tree she had told him about, the GPS said that they were there, but there was no sign of the cache.

"What are we looking for?" Clint asked.

"Something like a strong box, or a tupperware container. Something that you could fit a notebook into, even if it is small." she explained.

"Is there any sort of marker or anything?" he asked and she shook her head as she overturned a large rock.

"No. Maybe. If you see something that shouldn't be there or something like, an unnatural formation or something." she said and he looked around, before seeing something.

He walked over to the base of the tree where there seemed to be a piece of twine with leaves strung from it. He pulled the twine and realized it led into a large crack in the tree. He pulled it a little harder and grinned when a tupperware container came out of the large crack in the trunk, tied to the twine with a small notebook, and what looked like a dozen army men inside.

"Maggs," he called and she looked over and grinned.

"Great job Clint!" she smiled. "You sure you've never done this before?" she asked and he smiled as he untied the twine and pulled out the notebook.

"So just write our names and the time?"

"Yeah, right there on the first page where it says FTF." she said and he wrote down their names.

"What's FTF?"

"First to find." she explained as she pulled a small black bag from her backpack.

"What's that?" he asked as she pulled out a small cupcake toy.

"It's an exchange." she said as she took an army man out and put the cupcake toy in. She took the notebook from him and turned to the next page where there was a single line written, she typed the numbers into her GPS and a location popped up. "We've got our next target." she said and he nodded as he closed up the cache and put it back into the tree trunk. "Here," she held out the army man. "For your first find." It was the little green army man looking through his binoculars. He took it and she smiled before gesturing for him to follow her. "Come on, we'd better move our asses if we want to keep up our time." she told him before she started walking, following what the GPS told her to do.

Later that evening they had found a place to make camp near one of their caches. Maggie pitched the tent while Clint built a fire, she pulled her sleeping back out of the backpack she had been hauling and threw it into the tent, before she walked over to Clint and sat down next to him. "Sometime I forget how well you know all of this wilderness survival stuff." he told her and she chuckled. "And I keep wanting to protect you from everything, but then I'm constantly impressed by the way you handle yourself, and I realize you know all of this." he took her hand and she smiled at him.

"I do try to distance myself from the hardcore stuff." she admitted as she laced their fingers together and laid her head on his shoulder. "I mean, I love camping and everything, but really only for a day or two, I could never do what my dad does." she shrugged and he nodded. "You want to know the truth about my dad?" she asked and he looked down at her.

"Only if you want to talk about it." he said and she looked up at him.

"I didn't, not at first. I thought- I don't know, I thought maybe you were a friend of his or something..." she said as she slipped her hand from his.

"You thought that?" he asked and she nodded. "Why would you- You thought he sent me to keep an eye on you didn't he?" he asked and she nodded. "Maggs, what's he do to you?"

"It's not me, not just me, it's the whole family." she explained and he turned so he was kneeling in front of her. She looked up at him with those big blue eyes, and he reached forward and gently cupped her cheek.

"What's he do?" he repeated.

"He has these rules, like, you never go against the family type of stuff," she said as she touched his hand. "I- I only knew you weren't with him when you hung up on my uncle."

"He's in on it too?" she nodded and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Listen to me Maggie." he said and she met his eyes. "Do they hurt you?" She nodded and he sighed deeply. "What do they do?"

"Usually it's just emotional stuff. That's Uncle Seamus' specialty. You can go from feeling like nothing, to being the lowest piece of scum on the earth in three seconds." she explained and he nodded. "He's been pretty vicious this year." she told him and he nodded.

"Because of everything with Colin, right?" he asked and she nodded.

"I shouldn't be telling you all this." she said softly.

"No Maggs, you should be telling me this." he said. "Look, I can help you, you just have to trust me, okay?" he asked and she nodded. "You have a job, when you get back to Santa Barbara open a new account that they don't know about, slowly start transferring your funds into it, deposit your paycheck there, do whatever you can to make sure they can't get hold of your funds. When you've emptied and closed your account at your bank, they won't be able to hold financial stability over you." he told her.

"My sister works at our bank, she'd notice if I started taking large amounts of money out."

"So don't take out large amounts of money," he explained. "Say something like your car needs a repair, or you need a new set of luggage. That'll account for where some of the money went. Tell them you're lending money to Adele, your main priority is getting out of their hold financially. Do you still live with your parents?"

"I rent an apartment not too far from them, one of my dad's old war friends is the landlord, he gave me a good deal."

"Move." he said simply. "I promise you Maggie, it sounds like a lot, but it's not." he explained. "Stay with Adele for as much as you can while you're here. Don't give them any reason to have to have contact with you." he told her and she nodded.

"You sound like you've dealt with this before."

"I have." he said softly. "You did the right thing telling me Maggs."

"It doesn't feel like the right thing."

"You ever told anyone about this before?" he asked and she shook her head. "Then trust me, it's the right thing." he told her. "I won't let them hurt you." he said softly and she looked at him before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him.

He held her there for a long time, somewhere in the back of his head he knew he was wrong for promising something like that. He knew he would catch a lot of shit for getting so personal, and he was starting to curse himself for letting himself get so attached.

This was just proof he wasn't cut out for these types of jobs, he was a sniper, and a damn good one, going undercover like this, it wasn't in his nature.

But as he held her, he couldn't help but notice how right it felt.

* * *

**_I hope you guys liked hearing a bit more about what's going on with Maggie's family. I'll get into it more- trust me, I will- but in the next chapter, we're going to take a trip to the future. Keep on the look out for the next chapter! _**

**_P.S. Please don't forget to review!_ **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey ya'll! Fair warning, this chapter may tug at your heartstrings. You may also hate Clint a little bit at the end of this chapter, and you may feel really bad for him. Or a little of both. I kind of feel a little of both, and I wrote the damn chapter. I'm also having a very hard time writing this memo because I've been up all night. I know what words I want to type, but it's like my fingers forgot where letters are on the keyboard. **_

_**No, seriously, all night. I'm training my body right now, because I'm going to an all night movie marathon tomorrow, and so I'm staying up all night tonight (I'm going to pass out after I finish this) and then sleep all day tomorrow, and then wake up, go to the movie, stay up all night again, and then sleep Sunday. It's going to be Legen... Wait for it...**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, Clint, anyone, except for Minnie, and Maggie. I own them. Mine.** _

* * *

Clint took another look at the GPS app on his phone; he was right on top of it... He looked around the secluded area of Central park until he noticed it. There was a small pile of three flat rocks stacked vertically. He walked over to the pile and looked around, before he looked up and sighed. He walked over to the tree in question, a large pepper tree and climbed onto a low hanging branch.

He climbed up several more feet, and walked across a thankfully thick branch before getting to the cache in question. He opened the metal box and took a pen out of his inner jacket pocket and wrote down his geocachers username. He looked through the notebook, at every logged name, even though he could never thing to find her name, there was hardly a chance that she was in New York, but even so, every time he found a log, he looked through it. He closed the book and put it back before looking at the inside of the cache.

There was an abundance of little plastic eyeballs, this cache had been set up by someone who called herself the Scream Queen, so he took one of the little plastic eyeballs, and then pulled out an obsidian arrowhead from his inner pocket and dropped it back into the container. His phone rang and he looked at the caller ID and sighed before answering it. "Yeah Nat?"

"Where'd you run off to so early?" she asked.

"Well I woke up early and thought to myself, I can either sit in the kitchen and watch Tasha and Matt make out at the kitchen table again, or, I can go for a walk." he said and he could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"You planning on coming back anytime soon?"

"Look, I'll meet you in Time Square, okay?" he asked.

"Sounds good. Have a good walk." she replied before hanging up. He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket before he closed the cache and climbed down from the tree, when he got on solid ground again he hiked back up to the trail that ran through Central Park.

It was still early, he had enough time to go out and get a cup of coffee. After ordering his coffee at a small coffee shop he noticed the computer in the corner. "Can I?" he asked pointing to the computer and the barista nodded. He sat down at it and turned it on before logging into his geocaching account. He logged his cache and then searched for a member. He smiled lightly when he saw the particular user he was looking for. No recent activity.

When he got to work he changed to a SHIELD uniform he kept in the locker rooms and went to the training room. About an hour later he was shooting when someone walked into the room. He let go of the arrow and smirked as it hit the exact target. He drew another arrow from his quiver and shot it at one of the moving targets.

"Am I distracting you?" he looked over at Minnie Banner, the director of SHIELD and noticed the folder in her hand.

"Nope. Got a mission?" he asked and she shrugged. He drew another arrow and shot it.

Perfect bulls eyes.

"I'm not sure yet, more of a question really." she replied and he quirked an eyebrow as he drew another arrow. "Does the name Vernon Nolan mean anything to you?"

He missed.

He, Clint Barton had missed the bulls eye.

Minnie stared at the bulls eye and then reluctantly met his eyes. He hadn't even noticed, he was staring hardly at the girl who had grown to be his friend over the years.

"Where is he?" he asked seriously.

"Clint, if I'm going to talk to you about this, I need you to be level headed." she said.

"Oh I'm level headed." he said sternly. "Where. Is. He."

"We think he's in Indonesia. But there's no promises he's still there."

"He shot someone?" he asked and she nodded.

"One of ours. With a crossbow."

"Shit." he muttered.

"Clint, given your past, we think-"

"What about his family, are they under surveillance?" he asked.

"His family isn't our concern-"

"Yeah well they're _My _concern!" he said strongly and started to walk out of the room.

"Clint Francis Barton, you stop right there, that is an order!" Minnie said in the voice he had grown to recognize as both her leader voice, and at home, her mom voice. He sighed and turned around to face her. "My office. Now." she said and he sighed deeply before following her to her office. Rather than sitting down at her desk, she sat down next to him and tilted her chair so she was facing him. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Min, you don't understand-"

"Clint I understand. Your report of your time in Ireland is very detailed about everything, except one thing." she turned a picture over and he looked down at it. It was a picture he had taken of Maggie. As he looked at the picture he felt like he was going to throw up. "What happened on that last day Clint?" she asked and he looked from the picture of Maggie to Minnie, who was not looking at him like a superior, but like a friend. He sighed deeply.

"On that last day I met Vernon Nolan." he said softly as he took the picture of Maggie. He looked back at Minnie who was watching him, waiting for the rest of the story. "He shot me in the head."

* * *

It was close to two weeks after the geocaching trip when Maggie finally invited Clint over to her Aunt and Uncle's house. When he got there Maggie threw open the door and jumped into his arms. He laughed as he caught her, he had gone away for a few days so they had no time to see each other, and this was the first time they had seen each other since he had gotten back. He smiled at the feeling of her planting kisses all over his face before he put his hand to the back of her head and drew her into a long passionate kiss.

"I missed you so much." she said as she looked at him after breaking away from the kiss.

"I missed you too." he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and leaned in kissing him again, and he groaned, pushing her against the wall.

"Mm- Clint," she breathed as he held her there; trailing his kisses down her jaw, and made his way to her neck. "Clint, my dad is here." she said and he pulled back, looking down at her.

"Your dad?" he asked and she nodded. "I thought he wasn't due back for another week or two?"

"He said he couldn't go another few weeks without running water, and he wanted to come see me." she said and he nodded.

"Well," he said, as he slipped his hand into his pocket. "Better give you this now then." he said as he pulled a necklace from his pocket. It was a green string necklace with a red jade flower, and a few green jade beads on either side of the flower.

"Oh my god, Clint, it's gorgeous!" she gasped and he smiled.

"You really like it?" he asked and she nodded.

"I love it, help me put it on." she turned around and he wrapped it around her neck, clasping it. She turned around and cupped his face with both hands and kissed him deeply. Clint's mind was going into overdrive. He had started carrying only the minimal protection when he was around her, and he had no real plans for going in there. He didn't have time to call Natasha as Maggie wrapped her arms around his arm, and led him inside. He recognized Sarah sitting on the couch reading a book about butterflies, wearing a little frilly pink dress and looking miserable, with her hair tied in two braids.

"Hey Sarah." he waved at her, and she looked up at him. He noticed the two large band aids on her knees as he walked over to the couch. "How'd you get those?" he asked and Sarah looked back down at her book.

"I fell." she replied. He looked at Maggie who leaned over and kissed Sarah's head. Sarah shot a glare to her older cousin, but didn't say anything.

"Mr. Francis, welcome back." Clint looked up at Lorna Nolan who was walking through the living room, dressed like she had been to a funeral as always. It seemed to Clint like Maggie and Sarah were the only ones in the family who wore any bright colors, and he couldn't help but wonder about that, but he didn't have time to dwell on it because a few moments later Vernon Nolan walked into the living room and shot Clint a knowing look.

"Well if it isn't the famous Clint." he said, an obvious double meaning in his voice as he approached the couple.

"Famous? Hardly." Clint said easily.

"The way Margaret talks about you, one would think you were the newest trend." Clint smiled and looked at Maggie who blushed lightly. "Isn't that right Margaret?" he asked.

"Yes father." she nodded but didn't meet his eyes.

"Mr. Francis," Lorna appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Can I get you something?"

"Let Margaret do it Lorna." Vernon said. "He is her guest."

"I'm fine." Clint said as he took Maggie's hand, stopping her from leaving the room.

"Fine then. Margaret, go help your aunt." Vernon said sharply and she nodded before letting go of Clint's hand. "Sarah, you too." Vernon said. The little girl wordlessly stood up and went to the kitchen leaving the two of them alone.

"Just you and me now huh." Clint asked.

"Would you rather do this in front of Margaret?"

"Honestly? Maybe if she sees what you really are, I won't have to worry about her so much."

"And when she sees what you really are? Hawkeye?" he asked and Clint shrugged.

"Least then she'd be safe." he replied.

"Makes me wonder what you're carrying now." Vernon asked. "Because I know you don't have your trusty bow and arrows."

"Maybe not. But I'm not stupid."

"No of course not. But judging on how handsy my girl was getting with you outside I'd say it's not much." Vernon said as he looked Clint over, and then pulled a gun from his inner pocket.

"I need to know if you're going to do something in front of Maggie." Clint said lowly, his eyes flickering to the doorway to the kitchen.

"Why do you care? You've been trying to pry information out of her about me this entire time." Vernon narrowed his eyes and then looked to the doorway. "She told you everything didn't she?" he asked and Clint shook his head.

"She didn't tell me anything." Clint lied.

"Margaret!" Vernon barked and Clint started to edge his way over to the kitchen door.

"Hold it just there Hawkeye." Clint paused hearing Seamus Nolan walking down the stairs. He turned and looked at him, and sat him walking over to him with a gun. Hawkeye stood there before Maggie came walking into the room. She gasped seeing her father and uncle both holding a gun on Clint. Clint kept his hands at his sides, not looking away from Maggie.

"Tell 'er your name."

"Dad what-"

"Shut up Margaret!" he ordered and she looked to Clint.

"My name is Clint Francis Barton. People call me Hawkeye." Clint said calmly to Maggie who was frowning.

"Tell her what you do."

"I'm an assassin." he said and shot Vernon a look. "Same as your father." Vernon pulled the hammer back on the gun, keeping it pointed at Clint.

"Don't get funny boy." he snarled as he moved closer.

"I- I don't understand."

"I've been sent to kill your father Maggie." Clint said and her eyes were instantly full of hurt. "But seeing as both your father and your uncle are ready to shoot me on the spot-" Clint looked her in the eye.

"You really _do_ care about her, don't you?" Vernon asked suddenly. He looked at the two, before turning his aim from Clint, to his daughter.

"_Dad!_" Maggie shrieked as Vernon pulled the trigger. Clint didn't have time to think, he just stepped forward, moving in front of the bullet.

Maggie shrieked as Clint fell to the ground, he could see Vernon run to the kitchen, Seamus ran down the rest of the stairs, stepped over Clint and his now hysterical niece, and looked through the doorway, Clint reached the knife he kept on his belt and pulled it off.

It fell from his hand and he reached around for it, Maggie opened it and handed it to him, he looked back at her as she stared down at him, tears rolling down her face, her entire body shaking, before she looked up and let out another scream, scrambling back slightly, Clint looked over at Seamus as he walked over, his gun pointed at Maggie, his eyes locked on her, and then he stopped, the gun fell to the ground and Seamus looked down at his chest where the knife was now embedded. He fell to his knees, and then sideways to the floor. Clint watched the life date from Seamus' eyes, his own vision going hazy, a pool of blood starting to collect under his head.

"Maggs," he groaned. "Call Nat." she took the phone from his pocket and found her number in his phone, Clint held his hand out, he felt her take it and press it to her cheek, he could feel her tears rolling down it, her lip trembling as she spoke, and then nothing.

* * *

"I need to know that Maggie is safe."

"After all this time, you really do care about her, don't you?" Minnie asked and he looked to the side. "Clint, I can't help you unless-"

"Yes Minnie, I care about her." he said sharply. She nodded and he looked at the picture. "Is she safe?"

"We don't have any reports about her, when everything went to hell we had to destroy files, and then basically remake them based off of memory in the files." she explained. "Most of what we have from your report was from what Phil remembered." she explained.

"Then I need permission to go to Ireland." Clint said and she raised her eyebrows.

"Clint, you haven't seen or spoken to her in close to eight years." Minnie said. "A lot happens in eight years."

"So she's almost thirty now." he replied softly and she nodded. "Look, Minnie, I'm not planning on trying to make contact. I just want to make sure she's okay. After everything happened, she had planned on staying in Ireland. I'll just go out there, make sure she's okay, and then hunt for her father and maybe bring your husband as backup."

"I'll let you go to Ireland, but I'm sending Steve with you." she told him and he stared at her in shock. "Not negotiable." she said sternly when he started to open his mouth.

"Minnie, I don't need a babysitter."

"The way you're acting Clint, apparently you do." she said and stood up. She went around her desk and signed a paper before handing it over to him. "You'll take a jet in three hours." she told him. "Go get ready." Clint stood up and started to hand the picture over to her and she shook her head. "Keep it." she told him and he stared at her for a moment before he folded the picture and held it under the paper. He nodded to Minnie as she picked up her phone and dialed a number.

When Clint got to Stark tower he locked himself in his room. He took the geo treasure from his pocket and pulled down a strong box from a shelf in his closet and opened it. He dropped his geo treasure into the box and pulled out his notebook and wrote down both, the treasure and the location as well as the date and time before putting the notebook back and put the strong box into the closet where it belonged. He pulled out a small duffle bag and filled it with everything he'd need while he was gone, clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc. and then he packed up his quiver and bow in their metal traveling box. He locked the box and was walking out of the hall, ready to leave when he was stopped by Natasha.

"There a reason you didn't tell me we have a mission?"

"This is a solo mission Nat." he said and she frowned.

"Steve is going."

"Steve is chaperoning." he muttered. "Because apparently I need a chaperone again."

"Does this have anything to do with Indonesia?"

"I just... I need to make sure she's okay." Clint said, his grip on his duffle tightening slightly. Natasha didn't say anything for a moment, and then nodded.

"I'll watch for your report."

"This isn't going on paper." he said as he moved past her and walked out of the hallway. When Clint got back to SHIELD Steve was waiting for him, a duffle slung casually over his shoulder.

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"Ireland." Clint replied shortly. It was a quick car ride to the airport and they were soon in the air, Steve reading the file Minnie had given him, and Clint staring out the window, replaying their last moments together.

* * *

Clint woke up in the hospital, it was dark in the room, and he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. He groaned and moved, then gasped, pulling at his IV. He reached over to take it out and a soft hand touched his, stopping him.

"Leave it." the voice commanded and Clint looked to see Maggie sitting on the side of his bed.

"You-" his voice was rough, making him wonder how long he had been out. He cleared his throat and she held a water bottle with a straw to his lips. He took a drink, his eyes never leaving her. "You're here." he said and she nodded.

"You took a bullet for me," she said softly. "That's got to count for something." He groaned softly and reached up to brush his fingers against the bandaging wrapped around his head. "The doctor told me it didn't break your skull. It grazed it, and there is a slight fracture, and it'll take some time to heal, but you're really, really lucky." she lightly ran her thumb over his cheek. "I'm so sorry my dad shot you in the head." he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning upward at that and she smiled.

"Brain damage?" he asked and she shrugged.

"They're pretty sure no, but they said only time will tell." she explained and he nodded.

"Why are you here?" he asked and she nodded as she moved her hand from his face. He instantly wished she hadn't.

"You used me." she said looking at him, hurt was evident in her eyes.

"I know." he said simply.

"You're not even going to try to deny it?"

"It wouldn't be true." he replied.

"So, everything we had... It didn't... You don't..." she sighed deeply and he lightly touched her hand.

"Your uncle?"

"Dead." he nodded.

"Vernon?"

"Who knows." she shrugged. "I- I have no idea where he is, I mean I had no idea he was an assassin, and now- all of this, and you, and everything." tears started rolling down her face again and Clint sighed uncomfortably.

"Maggie," he said and she met his eyes. "That night in the forest," he cleared his throat and she held the water bottle out to him again. "Thanks- That night, everything I said," she looked at him. "Get out of your parents. Make a life for yourself."

"Clint," she sniffled as she wiped the tears from her face. "Would you- Could you I mean..." she looked into his eyes and he sighed seeing so much hope.

"I'm an assassin Maggs." he said simply. "As far as I'm concerned, I just did a job." he told her. She stared at him for a moment, he let that sink in as she stared at him.

"So everything you said really was a lie?"

"Its part of the job." he said and looked at her. "You're not the first. You won't be the last." he said, trying to sound casual. Maggie nodded, a dumbfounded look on her face, before she stood up.

"And Natalie-"

"Natasha Romanoff." he replied. "My new partner. Also an assassin." he paused. "You should really leave. They're going to transfer me to a different hospital in the morning. Then it'll be like Clint Francis never existed." he looked at her and she shook her head before she turned and walked to the door.

He watched her pause at the door, and then turned around. She took in one last look, before she walked out of the room, tears pouring down her face, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry. But it was enough. He lay there as the nurse walked in, and took a look at the expression on his face.

"You still in pain? I'm not surprised, head wounds hurt the worst." she said as she reprogrammed the machine regulating how much morphine he was given.

"No they don't." Clint muttered when she walked out of the room.

* * *

_**Dary! The all night movie marathon will be Legendary! Sorry I've been watching a lot of "How I met Your Mother" tonight while staying awake. **_

_**Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, did it tug at your heartstrings? I hope so! **_

_**Anyways, I'm going to go pass out now, but please don't forget to review and let me know what you thought!** _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey ya'll, here's chapter six! I hope you like it! This takes place where we left off in the last chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: I own Marvel. Just like I own Star Wars. Oh yeah.** _

* * *

"This is where she lives?" Steve asked Clint as the two of them sat in the car outside of an apartment building.

"No." Clint said as he got out of the car.

"Where are you-"

"Cap, stay here." Clint said as Steve started to get out of the car.

"Clint, this wasn't the plan." Steve said to no avail. Clint was already half way across the street. Steve watched in frustration as Clint walked into the building, and then noticed the earpiece sitting on the dashboard. He quickly put it on and listened for a moment, and then sighed when he heard a door open.

Clint was in Adele's apartment for ten minutes before Steve spoke up. "_There's a dark haired girl walking into the building._"

"She wearing obnoxiously bright colors?"

"_I don't know if I'd call them obnoxious-_"

"Good." Clint replied. A few moments later Adele walked into her apartment and stopped seeing Clint standing in the apartment.

"You know of all the people I could have seen in my apartment today, you are literally the last person I expected." she said.

"You seem to be taking it pretty well."

"Eh, roll with the punches, you know how it is." Adele said as she moved to the kitchen, and put the bags of groceries she was holding down. Clint watched as her hand instant went to the sink and she picked up a large knife "So you going to tell me what you're doing here?"

"You going to put down the carving knife?"

"_Clint, what the hell is going on_?" Steve demanded in his headset.

"The only reason I haven't thrown it at you is because you saved my best friend's life."

"The only reason you haven't thrown the carving knife at me is with your lack of practice and knowledge with knife throwing, you and I both know that knife would never hit me." Clint replied and she stared at him for a moment before setting it down. "Thank you."

"What the hell are you doing here? Do you have any idea how long it's been?"

"I know." he said. "And trust me, I wouldn't be here, but..."

"But...?" she asked and he sighed.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" he asked and she stared at him for a moment.

"You know Maggie tells me everything." she said and he nodded. "Why do you care?"

"You probably haven't heard about it, we've done a pretty good job of keeping it quiet, but there was an assassination in Indonesia recently."

"What's that have to do with Maggie?"

"It was V- Her father." he hesitated at the name.

"Her dad is dead?"

"No, he was the one who assassinated one of our agents." Clint shook his head and Adele sighed deeply.

"Damn." she muttered, and then looked back up to Clint. "So, what, you think he's coming after you?"

"Well my anonymity was compromised a few years ago." he explained. "I can't exactly go undercover anymore."

"Good." Adele scoffed as she picked up her box of eggs and put them in the refrigerator. "You won't be able to play any more girl like you did to Maggie."

"Are you going to tell me where she is or not?"

"No." Adele looked at him. "I'm not. Not until you answer the question Clint, if that is your real name." she put her hands on her hips and stared at him with her dark eyed glare. "Why do you care where Maggie is?" Clint stared at Adele for a moment. "Forget it; get the hell out of my apartment before I call the police."

"Wait, Adele-" Clint stepped toward her as she moved to the phone. She looked back at him and he stood there for a moment, internally debating, and then reached up and pulled the earpiece from his ear, and yanked the cord out.

"Who else is here?" she asked with a frown as she looked out the window. Steve got out of the car and was looking up at the building. "Who is that- Is that- Is he on your team?"

"I love her." Clint said and Adele looked at him in surprise.

"Funny, she never mentioned that." she said as she moved back to the kitchen and picked up a bag of onions.

"Probably because I never told her." Clint replied. "So just- Is she safe?" he asked and Adele shook her head.

"I don't think she is Clint."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"About two years ago she went back to the states. One of her siblings was killed in an accident, and her mom needed her. She was constantly texting and emailing me, and calling me, now I'm lucky if I get an email a month." Adele sighed. "I think there's something seriously wrong with her family. Those rules they have, they're insane, it's like- It's like Jonestown. Vernon is Jim Jones, and let me tell you this, Jane, Maggie's mom, she wouldn't hesitate to not only drink the kool aid, but to force all of her kids to drink it too if Vernon told her to." Adele said as she moved to the memo pad in her kitchen. "You know, when she moved, I had- I guess I hoped that you would still be looking out for her, you know... I mean, if you meant what you just said, why didn't you-"

"What is this?" Clint asked as Adele handed him a sheet off the memo pad.

"It's her address. If she's okay, please, let me know."

"And if she isn't?" he asked, regretting it instantly.

"Make her okay." Adele said sternly and Clint nodded, before the girl moved forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He held her for a moment and patted her back, before he let go of her and moved to the door. "Hey, Clint?" he looked back at her. "She loved you too." she said softly and he looked down for a beat, then nodded, and walked out of the apartment.

"What the hell was that?" Steve asked when Clint got back to the car.

"I had everything under control." Clint replied.

"You didn't give me any warning or anything. The only reason I didn't go up there is because I know you can handle your own in a fight, but don't you go off doing something like that again, it was completely irresponsible and-"

"Hey Cap, you think you can quit lecturing me and drive the car? We've got to get back to the airport."

"What for?" Steve asked with a huff as he got behind the wheel of the car.

"I've got our next location." Clint replied.

"Next location? Minnie didn't say anything about a next location, she just said we were coming here to check up on a girl who was sensitive to a job you're doing. What's with the secrecy?" Steve asked as Clint pulled his phone out.

"Min, it's Barton. I need your help."

"What's up Clint?"

"Me and the Cap need to go to California."

"You know it would take less time for me to send one of my California agents. Hell, Stark is out there on business right now, I could call him."

"Yeah, call him and let him know we're on our way out there." Clint replied.

"Alright Clint, but remember, no contact." she said and he nodded even though she couldn't see it. "The jet will be ready for you when you get to the airport; I'll give Tony a call and let him know to expect you."

"Thank you Minnie." Clint replied. "Tell Kayla I'm sorry I wasn't there to be in her show and tell project."

"There's always next week." Minnie chuckled and Clint let out a small laugh before hanging up.

"Kayla's bringing you in for show and tell?"

"What can I say? Kids like me." Cling shrugged.

"So are you going to tell me why we need this girl so badly?"

"She's the only one who knows all of Nolan's tricks. Who knows what he's possible of." Clint explained briefly as he looked out the window.

"Are we planning on bringing her in on this?"

"First things first, we're planning on making sure she isn't the next person on his list." Clint replied.

* * *

When they got to the LA airport, Tony was leaning against the side of a car waiting for them. "Well well well, look at what SHIELD sent me." he said with a grin as he walked over to the two tired SHIELD operatives. "You guys look like hell." he shook his head. "Should have called me, I'd have sent the jet. Private bedrooms. These SHIELD jets don't even have Hawkeye's favorite bunk beds, do they?" he asked and Barton chuckled while Steve rolled his eyes. "Well, come on, throw your stuff in the trunk, Pepper is dying for some civilized company, I think she means you Cap. You two can bond over her pregnancy and other womanly things." he said as he turned to the car. "Like it? New model."

"Is anything you say serious Stark?" Steve asked and Tony looked at him over his colored sunglasses.

"Uh, yeah, this car isn't even available to the general public yet." he scoffed and looked at Clint who shrugged, put his own shades on and walked over to the car. Tony got into the driver's seat and Clint got into the passenger's seat while Steve was stuck with the back. "Hey Hawk?" Tony asked before Steve got into the car. "Ready to see how long it takes the Cap to flip out?"

"Because that wasn't him flipping out enough for one day?"

"I say no. PCH it is." Steve got into the car and Tony shot Clint a smirk making Clint pull his seat belt on before Tony pulled screeching out of the airport.

"I don't get how you can sleep with him driving like that." Steve said when they got to Tony's mansion.

"I still don't get how you can sleep with Tony driving like that." Steve said as he and Clint got their bags from the trunk.

"If I can sleep through Natasha's driving, I can sleep through Tony's." Clint said simply. BrBr BR Later that day after having some sleep Clint looked up the address he had been given printed out directions and then went to find Tony. "Hey Clint." Pepper smiled when she saw him coming.

"Hey Pep, how're you feeling?"

"I'm good." she said and he looked at her stomach. "I know, I'm popping, it's insane." she rolled her eyes. "I can't fit into anything."

"Can't even tell." he smiled and she swatted his arm. "When do we get to find out?"

"Not for a little while." she said. "But even so, I may try to keep it a secret from Tony."

"That's one hell of a hard secret to keep."

"Yeah no kidding." she muttered and Clint smiled lightly. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Tony, I needed to ask him something."

"Uh, I think he's in the garage."

"Thanks." he replied and walked towards the garage. "Hey Pep," she looked at him as he turned around. "You look great."

"Thank Clint." she smiled and he nodded before he turned and walked to the stairs leading to Tony's office and garage.

"Hey Bird brains, what's up?" Tony asked as Hawkeye walked in.

"You want to go somewhere?" Clint asked and Tony nodded.

"Sure, let's just grab Spangles, and-"

"I'd rather not." Clint cut Tony off and Tony raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"Sure, I get it." he said and nodded. "Alright, let's go." he grabbed a pair of keys and the two of them walked to a car. "Where we going?"

"Santa Barbara."

"Oh nice. Love it there, they have this local wine, Pepper goes nuts when she drinks it. How do you think Tony Jr. came around?" he winked and Clint rolled his eyes as he got into the car. They pulled out of the garage and Tony looked at Clint as he handed over the address. "So, what's the deal with you and Rogers back there?" Tony asked as he drove.

"He asks too many questions." Clint replied. "Probably why Minnie sent him with me."

"Well, she's stressed, what with running a secret government agency, and she's pregnant and-"

"She's _What_?!"

"Just a theory." Tony said and Clint shook his head. "Can you imagine if the two of them were pregnant at the same time? Let's pray Murdock and Widow are using protection. The three of them pregnant together. It may collapse the tower like the time Thor discovered his fear of moths." Tony grinned at the memory and Clint shook his head with a laugh.

"I thought we were under attack." Clint laughed.

"So did Thor." Tony replied with a grin.

"Nat can't get pregnant." Clint muttered and Tony looked at him.

"The experiments?"

"Finally finished hacking her file huh?" Clint nodded.

"Not all of it apparently." Tony replied, and then changed the subject. "So what's up with the lone ranger act?"

"Just something I need to take care of, and Steve wasn't helping."

"Why'd you let him tag along?"

"I didn't, Minnie sent him as chaperone."

"She's doing strange things? Told you she's pregnant." Tony said and Clint shook his head.

* * *

When they got to Santa Barbara it was close to dusk. Tony had called Pepper on the way and let her know they were going to be back later, she just reminded him to pick up a few things on the way home. They found the house easily, and Tony looked at Clint who was staring at it. "So what's the plan?" Tony asked and Clint looked at him, before looking back at the house. Before he could say anything the front door opened, and people started walking out.

"That's her mom." Clint muttered to Tony as Jane walked over to a car and got in.

"Whose mom?" Tony asked slyly and Clint shushed him quietly. Maggie's sisters were pretty, like she was, but chose to wear clothes made for conservative women in their sixties, as did Maggie's mom. Her brother was dressed like a model from a gap campaign, as Tony pointed out, but was barking our orders to the girls who followed them and got into the car. They pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street, leaving the house to Tony and Clint's mercy.

"Her name is Maggie Nolan," Clint explained. "Her father was the one who killed Agent Halloway in Indonesia."

"Halloway? That tall girl?"

"Yeah, she was on an important case." Clint replied as they walked up to the house.

"So why are we coming to talk to this guy's daughter?"

"Because I think she's next." Clint replied as they got to the door. He started to pick the lock when Tony stepped forward.

"Can I try?" he asked and Clint shot him an exasperated look. "Betcha I can do it in under thirty seconds."

"Thirty seconds?" Clint asked and Tony nodded. "Go for it." Clint stepped back and Tony picked up a rock out of the large potted plant next to the door and twisted it. It popped open and a key fell out. Clint stared at it as Tony moved to the door and unlocked it.

"What was that, like, six seconds?" he asked.

"Shut up."

"No way, you owe me twenty four seconds. That's twenty four seconds of bragging."

"As opposed to the other eighty six thousand, three hundred seventy seconds in a day?" Clint asked and Tony chuckled. "You can brag in the car."

"I plan to, so what's the plan? Just go in there guns blazing?"

"We go in there and if Maggie isn't there, we look for clues to where she might be." Clint replied. They walked into the house quietly, and listened. It was quiet for a moment, and then they both heard music coming faintly from upstairs.

"What if it's not her?"

"That's Gershwin." Clint replied. "It's her." he started walking up the stairs, Tony took it upon himself to look around downstairs while he did so. Clint got to the top of the stairs and looked down the hallway. Only one door had a light on underneath it, he listened for a moment, and could hear no other movement in the house, aside from Tony downstairs. He moved silently down the hallway until he got to the door with the light on underneath it. He turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door, his eyes adjusted to the light in the room, as he looked around, and finally spotted Maggie in the room. She was laying in bed, an IV hooked up to her arm, her eyes were closed, but she was awake. Clint stood there staring at her for a moment. She was not as he remembered. She was thin, pale and sickly looking. He moved forward into the room, stepping on a squeaky floorboard. Forget what Minnie said about no contact. Nothing could stop him now. Maggie opened her eyes and looked at the door, her eyes widened slightly when she saw Clint and he moved into the room, all feelings deserted him as he walked over to the bed.

"What are you-"

"Are you alright?" he asked as he cupped her cheek, looking her over.

"They say it's a blood disorder," she shook her head. "Why are you here, what- I thought-"

"I needed to see if you were safe." he said softly as he looked her over, she cupped his face, and drew his gaze back to her, then she slapped him. Hard. "I deserved that." he said as she started hitting his shoulders, arms, chest, and occasionally his face. "Stop- Alright- Maggs-"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that!" she ordered as she hit his shoulder. He caught her hands and held them down to her chest. Her nostrils were flaring, she was breathing heavily, and a thin layer of sweat had started to form on her face.

"You're gonna overexcite yourself." he said "What kind of blood disorder?" he asked.

"Everything okay up here?" Tony walked into the room and Maggie stared at him.

"That's Tony Stark. You're Tony Stark."

"I am." Tony replied. "What is this?" he asked Clint who let go of Maggie. She punched him in the arm again, this time weaker than before.

"Maggie, when did this happen?"

"How did you find me? Why are you here?" she asked and Clint looked at Tony, before looking back to her.

"It's about your father."

"Of course it is." she muttered.

"He killed one of our agents, and- I think he's going to come for you."

"Do you know that I haven't seen him since that day in Ireland." she asked and Clint stared at her. "Why in god's name would he come for me now?"

"It's like you said Maggie," he said softly. "You went against him." he replied. A look of realization crossed her face and she looked down.

"Even if he did come for me, I'm a pretty easy target." she said looking to the side.

"This isn't like you," Clint said as he lightly touched her chin. "You're not this girl, since when do you sit around feeling sorry for yourself."

"Fuck you, you don't even know me." she said as tears started to roll down her face.

"What is it, cancer?" Tony asked suddenly and she looked at him.

"What?"

"Why's your room practically a wing of the ICU?" he asked.

"I have a blood disorder." she replied.

"What kind?"

"I don't remember the name, the doctor always just spouts off medical jargon I don't understand, and then talks to my brother. He doesn't tell me anything."

"I'll be right back." Tony said and walked downstairs.

"How do you know Tony Stark?"

"Remember that thing with the aliens in New York?" she nodded. "I'm an Avenger." he said and she cracked a small smile. He smiled lightly and she hit him again. "You gonna stop hitting me?"

"No." she scowled and he nodded.

"Just don't overdo it."

"God, I am so Tired of hearing people say that!" she said. "I can't even walk around my own bedroom without people yelling at me for over doing it- what's that?" she asked when Tony came back in with a small black square.

"This is going to test your blood." he said as he stepped over to the bed. "Once upon a time, I was dying from palladium poisoning in my blood. I used this thing every day to test the levels of palladium in my blood; it'll work with yours, just not right away." Tony explained, and then quickly added. "Don't worry, it's clean."

"Why do you still carry it around?" she asked.

"I don't, it was in the trunk of my car." Tony said before looking at Clint. Hawkeye moved and Tony sat down in front of her. "Put your thumb on there, and you'll feel a little prick." he said and she did as she was told. He took it back from her and nodded. "We'll be back tomorrow with your test results." Tony told her and stood up.

"You're coming back?" she asked with a frown.

"Don't you want to know what you've got?" Tony asked and she nodded hesitantly. "Then we'll be back tomorrow."

"Maggie, about your family-"

"I won't tell them." she quickly assured him. I still hate you though."

"I know." he replied. "And I'm so-"

"Hawk, we've got lights pulling into the driveway."

"I tried to tell you, they just went to the drugstore." Maggie said quickly as she looked at the window. "There's a balcony overlooking the back yard under my window, and a tree right next to it, cut through the neighbor to the left's yard, they're never home, they won't notice." she said and the two Avengers nodded before climbing out her window.

"Makes me feel like I'm sixteen again." Tony grinned. "Climbing out of my college girlfriend's bedroom."

"Just keep going Stark." Clint ordered. When the two finally got back to the car Tony was laughing and panting.

"Well," he said with a grin. "That was fun. I can see why you didn't want to take along old Spangles." Clint nodded as he looked up at the house. "Hey," he looked back at Tony. "Don't sweat Legolas, we'll figure out what's wrong with your girlfriend." Clint nodded as Tony started the car up again; he looked at the house one final time before Tony drove away.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! **_

_**Please don't forget to review!** _


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey ya'll, here's chapter 7! For the record, the drug I use Ripnoex is made up for the purposes of this story. I'll get into it more in the next chapter. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy this installment of My Aim is True. **_

_**Disclaimer: I'm awesome. No I'm just kidding, I've been watching How I Met Your Mother again! I don't own Marvel, etc etc etc...** _

* * *

"Hello Brucie," Tony said when Bruce stepped on screen back in Stark Tower.

"What's up Tony?" Bruce asked.

"I need your help with something." Tony replied as he looked over the results from Maggie's blood test. He touched the image of them in the air and drew it close, before flicking it at Bruce's floating image.

"Got it." Bruce said, dragging the image closer to him. "Where are these from?"

"Ah..." Tony looked at Clint who was sitting at the desk. "A person of interest." Tony shrugged. "She's probably pretty cute when she doesn't look like Linda Blair."

"Lovely, thank you for that image." Bruce chuckled.

"So what could cause that?"

"There's really only a few things, but to get this sort of result, she'd have to have been exposed for long amounts of time."

"How long?" Clint spoke up as he stood up and walked over to the image. He turned the floating image slightly so he could talk to Bruce.

"How- Uh, years. It would have made her sick, if she was smart she'd have seen a doctor, they could have reversed the effects."

"Can that still be done?"

"It depends on the extent of the damage." Bruce said after a sigh. "I'd have to take a look at her." he said.

"Could this be given to her intravenously?" Clint asked.

"Tell me what you saw." Bruce requisition and Clint and Tony told him everything they had seen. "It sounds like someone is keeping her down." Bruce said after a moment. "This is definitely being done on purpose."

"Great." Clint muttered. "We're going back for her-"

"Not tonight we're not." Tony said and Clint glared at him.

"I'm not going to let her just sit there, we have to go."

"First thing tomorrow." Tony replied. "We have preparations to make. Bruce, tell Minnie that we're picking her up."

"Wait has this got something to do with the thing that happened in Indonesia?" he asked and Clint nodded.

"Yeah, Maggie's dad is the one coming after her."

"Margaret Nolan? This is Margaret Nolan?" Bruce asked and Clint nodded. "I hope you know what you're doing Clint."

"I do." he replied and Bruce nodded. It was all he needed to hear.

"I'll let her know."

"Call her on your way to the airport." Tony said. "We're going to need you out here."

"Seriously?" Bruce asked.

"Always am." Tony grinned. "The jet will be ready in an hour. See you soon Buddy." Tony ended the video chat and looked at Clint who was deep in thought. "Think you could handle one night?"

"Could you if it was Pepper?"

"All this for a girl who claims to hate you."

"She deserves to hate me." Clint replied as he started to walk to the door. He went upstairs and to the room he was staying in. A few minutes later there was a light knock on the door.

"Clint?" Pepper walked in. "Everything okay?"

"It's fine Pepper." he replied.

"Well, there's some left over dinner downstairs. I made Italian." she smiled and Clint smiled lightly before he got up and followed her. "Do you want to talk about it?" Pepper asked and Clint shrugged. "Clint, Honey, you've been at the house for hours and you haven't even tried crawling around the air ducts." she shook her head. "As much as I hate it when you do that, I'm worried."

"I don't do undercover missions for a reason," he explained. "When Natasha and I had just started working together, we had been a team for maybe a year, we had this job in Ireland. We were sent out there, and told to wait. Our target would come. So one night, it was muggy as hell, and I just couldn't take being in the house anymore so I went out to the bar, and I met this girl." Clint smiled lightly. "She was American, out there for the summer visiting family, and we had a good time. And then at the end of the night I found out she was the target's daughter." Clint stuck a forkful of spaghetti and basil garlic tomato sauce in his mouth and chewed. "It wasn't supposed to be real, I was supposed to just do the job, but it got personal. I let her get close."

"What happened?" Pepper asked.

"Her father came to town earlier than we anticipated. I wasn't armed well, and I went to see her. She invited me in to meet her dad, he recognized me, forced me to tell her the truth, and then he shot me in the head." Clint said and Pepper stared at him in shock.

"God, Clint..." she breathed.

"Hey do you guys think Minnie will go for the whole shawarma Tuesday thing at SHIELD? I mean, if I'm going to be forced to go there, they may as well provide me with food I like." Tony said as he walked through the kitchen. Pepper rolled her eyes and looked back at Clint.

"What happened next?" she asked.

"I was in the hospital, she came to see me, and I told her what I had to to make sure she'd stay safe."

"Oh yeah, you should have seen the way she smacked him earlier." Tony nodded. "It was brutal."

"Thank you Tony." Clint muttered.

"So that's why you guys were in Santa Barbara? All this time, she's been just north of here?"

"No, she was in Ireland for the most part, she moved back to Santa Barbara after one of her siblings died." Clint said simply.

"God, this girls has been through hell." Pepper sighed.

"Thanks Pepper, that makes me feel so much better." Clint said as he pushed his food around on his plate.

"Eat up, and go take a nap or something, we've got to go pick up Bruce at the airport in a while."

"Bruce- When did that happen?"

"'Bout half an hour or so ago." Tony said before the phone rang.

"Sir, its Mrs. Banner on the line."

"Yikes, you deal with her Pep." Tony said before he kissed his wife's cheek quickly and then walked out of the room.

"Hey Minnie." Pepper sighed into the phone. "Yeah, he literally just told me. No, I have no idea. Clint?" she asked and looked at Clint who looked up with wide eyes. "No, he's crawling around in the vents somewhere, I don't know." she replied and Clint smiled lightly. "Alright, I'll tell him. Okay. Oh hey, honey, do you have that recipe for that celery thing? Oh great!" Pepper grinned and started writing down what Minnie told her. "Ugh, no, my back is killing me and I'm only five months, it's crazy how big I'm getting, and nothing fits!" Clint shoved a mouthful of spaghetti into his mouth as Pepper went on about the pregnancy and everything with Minnie, and then hung up.

"Celery and cottage cheese? Is that normal?" Clint asked as he looked at the Pepper.

"No." Pepper groaned. "It's so gross, but it's soooo good." she sighed and leaned on the counter. "I can't wait to go back to New York."

"When are you coming back?" Clint asked. "It's almost not worth it to go crawling through the air vents without you around to scream at me when I scare the crap out of you." he said and she laughed, before swatting his arm. "Hey, careful, I've been abused enough for one day, and I'm pretty sure it won't stop tomorrow." Clint said and Pepper smiled at him.

"What are you going to do about this?"

"Well, seeing as her family is pretty much keeping her poisoned, we're gonna liberate her from her family's home and bring her to a decent hospital... In New York."

"You're going to kidnap her?"

"You see, Pep, when you say it like that, you make it sound like what we're doing is bad. The woman wouldn't be there if she had any other choices, or means of leaving." Clint explained. Pepper sighed and shook her head.

"I didn't hear any of this." she said.

"Thanks Pep."

"Jarvis, place an order to the online grocery delivery." Pepper said to Jarvis.

"Ready Mrs. Stark."

"Celery, cottage cheese..." she walked out of the room, continuing the list.

A few hours later Clint was dozing off on the couch slightly when Tony and Steve walked in.

"Let's go, we've got to go to the airport." Tony announced to Clint who stood up and stretched. When they got there they were all holding coffees and Tony had taken it upon himself to stop for doughnuts, and Tony being Tony had insisted on an entire box of doughnuts because in his words, when Bruce was cranky, he wasn't any use to the team, and seeing as he expected Bruce to be helping him with science all night, he needed Bruce to be not cranky.

"So you two went to see her today." Steve stated and Clint nodded.

"I had to see her." he told him.

"Was she okay?"

"No, that's why Tony's flying Bruce out here. She's not okay." Clint replied.

"Was she happy to see you?" he asked Clint smiled lightly.

"In a way, I think so." he said and Tony scoffed. "She didn't demand we leave, and she sure as hell wants to get out of there-"

"Oh, here they come." Tony pointed to the private plane that was now touching down. The plane was breaking and Tony laughed. "Imagine how tense he is right now, without his personal stress reliever right next to him."

"He's gotten a lot better at flying and you know it." Steve replied coming to Bruce's defense.

"You just don't like thinking about how those two relieve some stress." Tony scoffed before he took a large bite of a doughnut.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked and Tony rolled his eyes. A few moments later the plane stopped, and a couple minutes later the door opened, the stairs were rolled over and a very tired, and semi cranky looking Bruce Banner stepped down from them.

"Told you he's cranky." Tony said as he picked up the box of doughnuts and put Bruce's coffee inside the box. "Hey Buddy!" Tony called as they walked over to him. "How was your flight?"

"We hit a thunder storm in the Midwest somewhere." Bruce said shaking his head. "All I have to say is thank god for the EpiPen."

"I'll add you to my list of people it helps, you, Minnie, the future Banners..." Tony shrugged and Bruce rolled his eyes as he flipped open the lid to the doughnut box and pulled out the coffee.

"Cute Tony." Bruce muttered when he saw written in Tony's handwriting "_Jolly Green Giant_" on the side of the coffee cup. He took a drink and pulled a doughnut from the box and devoured most of it before turning his attention to his other two teammates who were used to seeing Tony and Bruce act like that with each other.

Sure it had taken the rest of the team awhile to get used to Dr. Banner, but Tony had taken an instant liking to the man, and treated him the same way he treated everyone else, Bruce had been impressed that Tony wouldn't walk on eggshells around him, and eventually opened up to him, making them close friends fast. It was why if anyone could get Bruce on a plane at the last minute, it would be Tony, and Tony always knew how to greet him at the airport. With a box of doughnuts, a wise crack or two about a various number of subjects, a sarcastic comment about the Hulk, and then they usually pulled an all nighter trying to figure out some problem Tony was having, with a car or an Iron Man design or something. It was just what they did, and it was one of the reasons the two were such good friends.

"Hey guys." Bruce said to Steve and Clint who both nodded to Bruce. "Tony, we ready to go?"

"You betcha." Tony replied as one of the airport people brought Bruce's bag onto the plane. "We'll be back tomorrow. Be ready for my call." Tony instructed and the pilot nodded.

When they got back to Malibu Bruce grabbed his bag from the back and walked into the house with Tony, Clint and Steve. "Welcome home sir." Jarvis said. "And welcome back Dr. Banner."

"Hello Jarvis. Did you transfer the files I requested?"

"They are downstairs ready for you sir."

"Thanks Jarvis." Bruce said, and looked at Tony, answering his unasked question. "The blood sample you sent me and some of the work I was doing." he said and Tony nodded.

"Hey Bruce." Pepper said coming out of her office.

"Hey Pepper." he smiled as she walked over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek which he returned. "You're looking great." he said when he looked at her stomach.

"Ugh, don't even." she said and he smiled.

"Did you seriously just threaten Bruce?" Tony asked and she looked at him with wide eyes. Bruce smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Bruce, I am so-"

"Pepper, number one, never listen to your husband, you know that." he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And second, you forget, I went through this with Minnie, I remember the crazy mood swings." he said before holding out the bag. "I come bearing gifts."

"Bruce, you are so sweet." she said, and he nodded.

"Don't cry, its stuff Minnie sent over." he said as he unzipped the bag and handed her a few shopping bags full of clothes. Bruce left the kitchen with Tony and Clint; Steve had announced he had a call to make, so the three of them went to Tony's office.

"Bring the doughnuts." Bruce called to Clint who was leaving them in the kitchen.

* * *

The next day when the four Avengers got to the house in Santa Barbara they were pleased to see the car was gone, but decided it would be best to check and make sure that no one was still hanging around. It was decided Clint would go check with Maggie via the window.

"What are you Peter Pan?" Maggie mumbled when he climbed through the window.

"I feel like a teenager when I do that." he mumbled and she smirked opening her eyes to look at him.

"That must seem like a really long time ago." she quipped and he rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha." he said dryly. "Is the house empty?"

"Yeah, they all went to church." she said waving her hand at him. "And then the priest will come home with them and repeat the sermon for me, as a favor, and pray that I get better." her head rolled to the side slightly and Clint waved out the window before walking over to her and kneeling down in front of her.

"What's going on Maggie?" he asked and she looked up at him.

"I always feel like this when I start a new IV." she replied and he looked at the full IV drip now being injected straight into her arm.

"I brought a doctor with me." he replied and she hummed in response. "Maggs, stay awake." he cupped her face and lightly tapped the other side. She opened her eyes and frowned lightly.

"My head hurts." she said to Clint who looked up as the door opened. Steve winced when he saw Maggie, and Bruce let out a sigh before he walked over to the bed.

"I'll take her from here, Tony go pull the car up to the front, Steve, I'm gonna need you to carry her." Bruce said and Steve nodded. "Maggie, my name is Bruce." he said as he sat down on the side of the bed. "Can you tell me your full name?" he asked as he turned her forearm to look at the IV. He let out a small breath and Clint looked over his shoulder to see the area looked inflamed. "That's from the Ripnoex." Bruce muttered to Clint who nodded.

"My name is Maggie-"

"I need your full name." Bruce said to her and she sighed.

"Margaret."

"That's good, Margaret what?" he asked as he put on a pair of latex gloves.

"Margaret what." she chuckled and Bruce sighed.

"She said she gets like this when they put the new IV in." Clint informed him.

"Yeah doesn't surprise me." Bruce muttered. "Maggie, I'm going to take the IV out now."

"Jean." she said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked as he pulled the IV needle from her arm. She groaned and he put a cotton ball over the place the needle had been. "I know it stings." he said softly. "I need to get you to a doctor."

"Clint said you were the doctor." she said and he nodded.

"I'm a scientist, so I have a doctorate, but I'm not an MD. These guys just hate doctors so much anytime someone is injured or scraped up, they prefer I help them out than anyone else." Bruce explained. "Now Margaret, I'm going to ask you an important question." he said to her and she nodded. "Do you want to stay here?" she shook her head.

"Take me with you." she mumbled, her eyes starting to fade, and he nodded.

"That's all I needed to hear." he said before nodding to Steve. Steve moved forward and picked her up carefully. She rested her head against his chest as he took her out of the room.

"Do you want to grab her some clothes?" Bruce asked Clint who nodded. He pulled a suitcase down from the closet and then paused, having no idea what to get her. "If Minnie was going on vacation..."

"Just grab clothes Clint." Bruce said with an amused tone. Clint grabbed some dresses from the closet and random clothes from her dresser, hoping he was getting the right things. "The levels of this they had her on is genius." Bruce muttered and Clint glared at him. "I mean it's horrible, but they used just enough to keep her incapacitated, but not enough to make her OD." he explained. "Getting it out of her system isn't going to be a walk in the park though."

"You just cold turkied her." Clint said and Bruce nodded.

"This is not going to be a pretty process." Bruce explained as Clint threw some pajamas into the suitcase, and then some shoes. He grabbed a few more things from around the room and put them into the suitcase before closed it and looked at the chart Bruce was looking at.

"Where did you find this?" he asked.

"In the fridge with the rest of the Ripnoex."

"How did you get it open, there was a lock-"

"The key was right under that." Bruce nodded to a small potted plant and Clint sighed. Of course.

"Hey guys, Maggie says her family usually gets home from church around this time." Steve came up the stairs into the room.

"Right, let's go Doc." Clint said to Bruce as he grabbed one of the bags of Ripnoex and Maggie's file. He closed the fridge and stood up, putting everything back into the bag he had brought with them. Clint grabbed the suitcase and closed it, before he started towards the door. He paused and grabbed a throw blanket off the bottom of her bed and then followed them downstairs where Tony was screwing the phone back together.

"What did you do?" Bruce asked.

"Wired the line." Tony replied. "I also put a few cameras around the house in Clint's favorite hiding spot." he pointed to a vent. "Smile and wave boys." he said and Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Come on Stark." Steve said as he gestured to them. Steve finished fixing the phone and picked up a tissue. He wiped the phone down, and then used the tissue to hold it as he put it back where he found it, and then clapped his hands together.

"Okay, let's go." he grinned. He stuck the tissue and the tools he had brought with him into his pocket, and they left, Maggie was in the back seat of the car, Clint got in the back with her, as did Bruce, Clint wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as Bruce checked her vitals. Tony slipped into the driver's seat and pulled out of there, Maggie leaned her head on Clint's shoulder as Tony drove and Clint looked down at her as she lay against him, not responding to what was going on around her.

"You're safe now Maggie." Clint whispered in her ear. She just stared ahead. He looked at Bruce who shook his head.

"It's the drugs, and probably a little bit of shock." he explained. "Give it time." Clint nodded and then looked back at her. He knew that getting her out of there had been the right thing to do, and he hoped when she got better, she would know it too.

* * *

_**Okay guys, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll explain Ripnoex a little more in the next chapter. Till then! **_

_**Please don't forget to review!** _


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hey ya'll! Here's chapter 8, I hope you enjoy it! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. I do have a job interview at Nordstrom on Wednesday though! *Fingers crossed*** _

* * *

"Hey," Clint walked into the room Bruce and Maggie were in; he was working on his laptop while she dozed.

"Hey." Bruce replied. "What's up?"

"I want to know more about this Ripnoex stuff." Clint replied and Bruce nodded and gestured to the chair under the desk Clint was leaning on. He sat down and Bruce picked up the IV bag full of Ripnoex he had taken.

"Ripnoex, from what I've been reading, was first introduced to the market in 1976 in psychiatric hospitals. It's not used often anymore." Bruce explained. "But they still make it."

"What is it, what's it do?"

"Basically, it paralyzes the body, and impedes the mind. You can think your regular thoughts, but you can't act on most of them." Bruce told him. "They call it the liquid lobotomy."

"Jesus." Clint muttered as he looked at Maggie. "What's she on now?" there was an IV in her left arm as opposed to her right arm, which was wrapped up where the needle had been.

"It's fluids, she's really dehydrated." Bruce explained. "Ripnoex also effects the body's ability to retain fluids, and solids, I wouldn't be surprised if she's hardly drank or eaten the right amount of anything in a very long time. Like I said, what they did was the perfect levels of everything. They gave her enough to survive, but not enough to live off of. They gave her enough Ripnoex to keep her down, but not enough to kill her." he looked back at the screen of his computer. "She's lucky you found her when you did."

"I don't feel very lucky." Clint replied as he looked at Maggie.

"Clint, if it had taken us a few more weeks to find her, she wouldn't have survived." Bruce said as he looked up. "Look at this." he turned the computer screen around, showing a picture Clint really wished he had kept to himself. "That patient was killed from long term Ripnoex exposure." he noticed the worried expression on Clint's face, he hadn't turned his head, but he was watching Maggie out of the corner of his eye. "Like I said," Bruce continued. "She's very lucky." he closed his laptop and stood up, stretching slightly. "Keep an eye on her for a few minutes, I'll be back." he said before leaving the room. Clint left the room when Bruce came back, she was starting to stir and he knew she wouldn't want him there.

When the plane touched down awhile later and the doors were opened, Minnie was waiting on the runway with Phil Coulson, two SHIELD doctors and three cars. "How's she doing Clint?" Minnie asked when he got down the stairs.

"Seems to be okay, she was asleep for most of the flight."

"Bruce said she's got a Ripnoex poisoning." she stated rather then asked. "He says she's lucky you asked about her when you did."

"He said the same to me." Clint told her and she nodded.

"Better start believing it." she told him and he gave her a half smile before looking back as two SHIELD doctors came back down the stairs with Maggie. He started to move forward when Phil cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid I have to debrief you Agent Barton." Phil said and Clint looked from Maggie to Phil, then back to Maggie, making sure she got down the steps alright, and then watched as Steve helped lift the frail girl onto the stretcher they had brought. When she was safely lying down on the stretcher Clint turned and wordlessly followed Phil to the car. When he looked back again he saw Minnie walk over to Bruce, she cupped his face as he put his hands on her waist, she spoke to him for a moment and he shook his head before she leaned forward drawing him into a long kiss.

"Cap!" Clint called to Steve who was walking by the married couple. Steve looked over from them to Clint who nodded to the car he was standing in front of. Steve walked over and got into the car without a glance back. Clint sighed looking at Phil who shook his head before he got into the back seat with Steve and Phil got into the front, telling the driver to drive them to SHIELD's headquarters in Time Square.

* * *

"Gentlemen, this is Agent Hooper, Agent Hooper, this is Agent Barton, and Captain Rogers," Phil introduced the two to the young faced petite blonde girl who looked no older than 20.

"A- Are you sure I'm ready sir?" she whispered to Phil who looked over at Barton who was staring at the ceiling, probably figuring out how long it would take the agent to figure out where he went if he jumped into the air duct to mess with her a bit, and then to Steve who looked tired, but willing to be helpful as usual.

"These two are good practice." Phil nodded. The most well behaved and the least in a single room. Which wasn't to say Barton wasn't well behaved for the most part, but since he had become part of a team and let himself grow closer to people, he let people he trusted see a different side of him. One that included him and Tony playing pranks on SHIELD employees on a regular basis. It was actually a running contest they had going, to see how many SHIELD employees they could scare, trick, or in other words just mess with. This Agent Hooper looked like the perfect agent to bump his number from forty three to forty four. Not many, but he was doing better than Tony.

"Right, uh, okay." Agent Hooper said as she led them to an interrogation room.

"Go easy on her." Phil hissed to the two who nodded, each for different reasons. As she stuttered her way through the interview with Steve he gradually made her feel more relaxed. Any other day Clint would have gone for forty four. He would have waited until he was alone in the room that locked from the outside and then climbed up onto the table, taken the knife the girl had forgotten to have removed from his belt and used it to unscrew three corners of the air duct, where he would climb through to an office, climb out, download her file using a security code the higher agents were assigned to gain access, he was currently one of four people with access to this code, and then return to the room where she was unable to get out of due to the fact that the door was locked from the outside, and tell her everything she had done wrong.

This time Clint sat in the room, on the uncomfortable chair while Agent Hooper took her sweet time coming back, and then questioned him. He gave straight, to the point answers, and then when it was over he left the room like nothing had happened, leaving Agent Hooper convinced she was god's gift to performing interviews. "What was that?" Clint turned around as Phil walked out of the side room.

"What?" he asked as Agent Hooper walked out of the interview room. She beamed at Phil who nodded to her and waited for her to leave the hallway before turning back to him.

"How many mistakes did she make?"

"Obvious ones, thirty one, details, fifty three." Clint told him.

"That is the reason I put her in there with you, she took her sweet time getting back to you, even though you aren't in trouble over anything, she treated you like an interrogation rather than a simple debriefing, and you didn't do anything about it? Agent Harding still won't look you in the eye." Phil said, exasperated.

"If you need me to scare the new recruits, you could have picked a better time." Clint snapped.

"The world keeps going Clint." Phil called. "She's in our care, you did whatever job you felt like you needed to do. Now you need to do the job you know you need to do."

"The only job I need to do is to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again." Clint replied as he walked down the hallway to the elevator. He took the elevator to the hospital floor and stepped off before he went to the desk.

"How can I help you Agent Barton? Did you pull your shoulder training again?" the nurse asked and he chuckled.

"Ah, no, not this time."

"No offense sir, but that's what you said last time." she pointed out. He nodded and rolled both his shoulders to prove his point.

"Can you tell me which room Maggie Nolan is in?" he asked and she raised an eyebrow before shuffling through papers. "You aren't keeping this in the computer?"

"Director Banner was adamant that we keep it out of the computer. She said even though we have the best protection and that hacking our system would be three different federal offenses, that you would feel more comfortable if technically Ms. Nolan was never here." she looked up at him and smiled he returned the smile lightly, realizing he'd have to go a bit easier on Minnie then he had been in the past few days. "She's in room 206." she told him and he nodded as he started to walk around the desk. "But I'm afraid you aren't allowed back there." she said as she stood up. His face fell and he searched for words, she quickly explained. "She's going through withdraws, and she's very sick. Director Banner has stated when she's up to seeing people, you will be the first to be notified." she explained. "But it could take a few days."

"Are you sure Cath?" he asked and she nodded.

"I really am sorry." she said and he nodded as he turned to go back to the lift.

"You'll let me know, right?" he asked and Cath nodded.

"I promise." she said and he nodded before he walked back to the elevator and took it upstairs. He thought back on what Phil had said before he decided if he was here he might as well do some actual work.

Alexandra Hooper sat in Phil Coulson's office going over what information she had gathered earlier that day. It had been nearly two hours since she had performed her first interviews herself, without anyone in the room. She had written up her reports and was still riding her high while she waited for Agent Coulson to come in and review them. She fiddled with her blonde hair, throwing it over her shoulder, and then adjusting it so just a little fell over her shoulder, trying to look both professional, but like kind of a sexy bad ass at the same time, like Emily VanCamp. As she messed around with her hair there was a sound from above her. She looked up and then figured someone in the office above was making too much noise. A moment later one of the very men she had interviewed, Agent Barton dropped out of the ceiling. She let out a semi horrified, surprised scream and nearly tipped her chair backwards. Clint texted Tony after leaving the room with the simple "Forty-four" being the only thing he said.

* * *

Clint got back to Stark tower where he saw Natasha laying on the couch in the living room with a bowl of popcorn. He dropped his bag and walked over to the couch, flopping over next to her, and stealing a handful of popcorn.

"Rough day?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Nah." he said and she scoffed before looking away from the movie that was currently playing on the TV.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No." he replied honestly and she nodded. He would talk when he needed to. He finished the handful of popcorn and then got up and took his bag before going downstairs to his room. He tossed his bag on the bed and changed his clothes before he looked at the mail he had received when he was gone. He didn't get much as far as mail went, but Kayla was a huge fan of receiving letters, and she had learned the number one way to get letters was to send them, so periodically she would write the members of the Avengers letters or send them pictures she had drawn in hopes they would reply. This day just so happened to be Clint's day.

He smiled down at the picture that Kayla had drawn for him before he stood up. He grabbed his keys and coat and went downstairs, he took the subway a few stops and then walked to the building he knew well, and walked into the building. When he got to the appropriate door he knocked and a few moments later the door was thrown open by his very enthusiastic honorary niece.

"Uncle Clint!" she exclaimed in glee and he smiled as he picked her up in a large hug.

"Hey kiddo!" he said with a grin as she clung to him, chatting the entire way into the apartment.

"Hey," Minnie said when she walked out of the kitchen to see who was at the door. "Is everything okay?"

"I uh, can I talk to you?" he asked and she nodded.

"Of course." she said and he put Kayla down. "Go help daddy finish in the kitchen." she told her daughter who eyed her uncle.

"Is Uncle Clint staying?"

"Oh, no- I don't-"

"Of course he is." Minnie said decidedly. "Go tell Daddy."

"Yaay!" she exclaimed before running to the kitchen.

"Minnie I don't want to intrude-"

"Clint, I wouldn't make you stay if I didn't think you needed it." she told him and he smiled lightly at her before she led him to the office she and Bruce sometimes shared.

"I just want to apologize for being so hard on you these past few days." he told her and she sighed.

"I know I haven't been easy to work with-" she started and he held up his hand.

"It's my turn to apologize." he said and she laughed lightly. "It's rough sometimes, you're my boss, but you're also one of my closest friends. That being said, usually we work together well, but with Maggie and everything." he trailed off. "Anyways, I'm sorry." he told her and she smiled before she hugged him. He stood there for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her, returning the hug.

"See sweetie," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder when their hug ended. "This is why I'm making you stay. You need some real human contact, especially if you want to try to fix things with Maggie." she winked and he shook his head.

"She deserves to hate me."

"Oh please honey, if she hated you do you think she'd leave with you?" she asked as she shook her head and led him from the room. He followed after her, and smiled when he saw Amanda walking downstairs.

"Hey Uncle Clint," she grinned at him and walked over to give him a hug. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Sure am Kiddo." he grinned and she groaned.

"Oh god, don't call me that, you're just like my dad." she sighed and he laughed as she shook her head and walked into the kitchen.

"Teenagers." Minnie whispered to him and he laughed.

"Think about it this way Min," he said and she looked at him. "If you're the mother of a teenager, you sure look good." he winked and she wacked him on the shoulder making him laugh. She shook her head with a laugh.

"You be careful mister, I've still got my big green bodyguard." she told him and he laughed.

"Someone should try telling that to Steve." he muttered and she shot him a look before leading him to the kitchen.

"Hey Clint." Bruce said when he saw his friend and teammate.

"Lone time no see." Clint said dryly and Bruce nodded.

"No kidding. I just got off the phone with the doctors. She's doing as well as can be expected." he explained and Clint nodded.

"Thanks."

"No problem, I'll let you know when I hear anything." Bruce said as he handed off a bowl to Amanda who carried it to the table.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah Kayla?"

"Can I pour the drinks?"

"Uh..." Bruce looked at Minnie who shrugged. "Sure kiddo." he said and looked at Clint. "Will you get the pitcher of water from the fridge?" he asked and Clint did so before handing it to Bruce. He put it on the counter and picked up Kayla who took the pitcher in her hands, he watched as Bruce held Kayla in front of the line of cups set on the counter, and started to pour the water into the first cup.

"You're doing good Kayla." Amanda smiled and the younger girl grinned at her older sister before she dropped the pitcher. Clint, who was standing next to the two instantly reached out to catch it, the water splashing everywhere made it difficult to grab but he set it on the counter fully intact with a small grin on his face.

"Nice catch." Amanda grinned.

"Oh Clint, you're soaked." Minnie sighed and he shrugged.

"It's just water Min." he said and looked at Kayla who held up her hand. He laughed and gave the small girl a high five before Bruce set her down.

"Better luck next time kiddo." he said. "Don't run!" she started to run across the kitchen only to slip on the water and fall.

"I'm okay!" she said as she jumped back up and walked carefully to the dish towel drawer.

"Got you pretty good too huh" Clint asked, noticing Bruce's pants were soaked.

"Just be glad you weren't here for the alfredo sauce incident a few weeks ago." Bruce said softly and Clint laughed.

"Babe, Kayla needs to get her hair cut before school starts." Minnie said suddenly.

"I thought she was already in school? That summer school thing." Clint said and Minnie shook her head, as did Kayla, looking like a small carbon copy of her mother.

"Nope." Kayla smiled as she kicked her feet.

"No, she was in this summer Pre Kindergarten class." Bruce told Clint who nodded.

"I don't want to go." Kayla said after a moment.

"Baby, we've been over this before, there's no guarantee she'll be in your class." Minnie told Kayla who frowned.

"What's going on?" Clint asked.

"There's a girl in her pre kindergarten class who's kind of a bully." Amanda explained.

"She says I'm a liar that you're my uncle." Kayla said as she poked her food with her fork.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Clint asked and she nodded.

"Her daddy is a cop, she said if I keep lying that he'll put me in jail."

"Oh honey, no one's going to put you in jail." Minnie said as she put her hand on her daughters back and leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

"Who is this kid again?" Bruce asked with a frown.

"Her name is Gwen Lexton."

"Have you met her parents?"

"Yeah, they're the Nadine type."

"Oh jeeze." Bruce sighed. "Well, at least you get to see Juan this weekend." Bruce knew exactly what to say to cheer his daughter up. Clint smiled, she really was like her mom.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Minnie asked Amanda who shrugged.

"Just hanging out with some friends." she said. "Killing time before I have to go back to school."

"You going back to Xaviers?" Clint asked and she nodded.

"Yeah it's a good school, I have friends there, and the obvious reason." she shrugged.

"I don't know what you guys get into, whenever you come home you're all scratched up and covered in dirt, what do you have a fight club going on or something?"

"Mom, to tell you about it would be breaking the first... And second rule." she scoffed making Clint and Bruce laugh while Minnie shook her head with a smile. "No but seriously, we just go geocaching." she shrugged.

"You go geocaching?" Clint asked at the same time as Bruce asked.

"What's geocaching?"

"You go geocaching too?" Amanda asked with a grin and Clint nodded.

"Yeah, it's a hobby." he shrugged. "Are you on the web?"

"Yeah!" she nodded. "What's your screen name?"

"What's yours?" Clint asked and she rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Scream Queen."

"Okay, wait a minute, what is geocaching?" Bruce asked.

"It's urban treasure hunting." Amanda explained. "One of the guys at Xavier's told me about it."

"You go out and you hide a box sometimes it's full of little toys or something, like," Clint reached into his inner pocket of his jacket which was hanging on the chair behind him and he pulled out one of the obsidian arrowheads he used as his trade.

"You are not The Marksman- Although that totally makes sense..." she nodded. "Your caches are legendary."

"You're one to talk." Clint laughed. "That one in Central park was pretty genius."

"So how do you find the trade?" Bruce asked.

"It's called a cache Dad." Amanda clarified. "And you post the location online using longitude and latitude and the find it with a GPS." she explained.

"Or, you can post a riddle of some sort and they have to figure it out." Clint added and she nodded.

"It's so much fun." she grinned.

"So, you do this for strangers?" Bruce asked with a frown.

"Yeah..."

"No." Bruce said simply and she stared at him like he was crazy.

"What do you mean "no"?" she asked. "You heard Clint, my caches are genius!"

"Here we go." Kayla said and rolled her eyes. Minnie did the same and Clint couldn't help but look at the two, it was kind of funny how they were so similar even down to their facial expressions.

"Bruce, we'll talk about this later." Minnie said and Amanda looked at her plate.

"Just to help- I'm willing to go with her." Clint spoke up as he put his hand on Amanda's shoulder.

"Thanks." Bruce said and Amanda scowled.

"He just wants to find the cache easier." she said as she mock glared at Clint who grinned.

"Hey Minnie." Clint said after dinner as he helped clean up. Bruce was upstairs getting Kayla to take a bath while Amanda tried to find a movie to watch.

"Yeah Sweetie?" she asked as he handed her the plates he had carried over from the table.

"Can we make one more trip to Ireland?"

* * *

**_There we go, hope you liked it! _**

**_Please don't forget to review!_ **


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hey ya'll, here's chapter 9, I hope you like it! **_

_**Disclaimer: I won Marvel last night in a poker game with Deadpool. It was epic, we both cheated like madmen and made up new rules as we went along, some of them so insane, our version of poker is now considered illegal in most of the world. It was epic. At least, that's the dream I had last night. Epic.** _

* * *

Maggie had been awake for a day and a half when there was a light knock on the door. She thought of it as being awake for the first time because there was officially no trace of Ripnoex in her system now. It hadn't been a fun detox, in fact it had been anything but, she was still getting headaches, which the doctor told her were normal, and she was still having a hard time getting used to being able to move around, and having a clear head. When the door opened and Clint walked in she frowned. She didn't know how to deal with this.

"I know," he said quickly. "You hate me, that's fine, I get it, I promise." he told her and she nodded slowly, curious to see why he was there. "But I'm not here to bug you, I promise." he told her. "I just-" he turned to the door and pushed it open letting in the one person in the world Maggie wanted to see more than anyone.

"Adele!" she said with a grin as Adele walked in. She covered her mouth with her hands as she looked down at her best friend.

"Oh my god sweetie!" Adele's accent thickened as it usually did when she was upset. "Oh my god."

"That bad huh?" Maggie asked looking down at herself. She knew she had lost weight, a lot of weight. Dr. Banner who was one of the people who saved her had told her she was on the verge of being classified as emaciated.

"And then some sweetie!" Adele said as she shook her head. She walked over to Maggie and sat down with her.

"I'll leave you two to it." Clint said as he turned away and left the room.

"Clint?" Adele called and he turned back, his eyes focused on Maggie's for a moment before he looked back at Adele. "Thanks." she said and he nodded, looked at Maggie once more and then left the room.

"How is she doing?" Coulson asked and Clint sighed.

"Better I think. 'Least she will be with Adele in there."

"That's good." Coulson said. "Because we have a job for you."

"What is it?" he asked and Coulson handed over a file. "Nothing to do with her dad?"

"We haven't had any leads on him." Coulson said. "But this guy is pretty important. We want you to take care of it and report back."

"Just to clarify, I'm just going in for this file, right?" he asked and Coulson nodded. "No killing, nothing?"

"Nope." Coulson said and Clint nodded.

"Good." he said before he noticed Coulson's semi confused face. "It uh, the girls start school next week, and I promised to be there for them." he said with a small shrug.

"You're a good uncle Clint." Coulson said and Clint nodded before he left, neither of them noticing the door to Maggie's room hadn't been closed.

* * *

"Good morning Maggie." Dr. Banner said the next day as he went to check on her.

"Dr. Banner I distinctly remember you telling me you're a scientist, not an MD." she said with a small smile.

"I can leave." he said pointing to the door and she shook her head.

"It's alright, aside from Adele, you're the only person here who makes me feel normal."

"Yeah, SHIELD will do that to you." he nodded before he paused. "Speaking of normal," he pulled a bag from a doughnut shop out of the inside of his jacket. "Smuggled you in something disgustingly sweet."

"Ah, your wife is a lucky woman." she smiled and he chuckled lightly as he handed over the bag. She opened it and took out the cup from inside.

"Its decaf, the doctor says you're not ready for caffeine yet, but I know that wouldn't be a problem."

"You know thank god you're bringing me sweet stuff, I took a look at myself in the mirror last night, holy crap, I _do_ look like I have an eating disorder."

"Yeah." he agreed as he sat down on the chair next to her bed.

"Oh my god." she said through a mouth full of cinnamon roll. "You're my hero." she sighed and he chuckled. She put it down a moment later and he nodded.

"It'll take some time, but you'll be able to eat regular portions of things again." he told her and she nodded.

"Dr. Banner-"

"Bruce." he cut her off and she looked at him curiously. "You can call me Bruce." he told her and she nodded.

"Right, Bruce," she said and then sighed. "Is- I know you probably can't tell me this, but, is there any sign of my father out there? Adele says he killed someone and that's why C- Why he came to look for me, because he wanted information-"

"Let me stop you right there." Bruce said and she looked at him curiously. "Clint is one of my closest friends. He's helped me and my wife in tough situations, he's been there for my kids, and he still is there for them. That being said, I know you two have a history, and I know it's not pretty. When he came looking for you, he came not because he wanted information, but because he wanted to make sure you weren't next. To be honest, I don't think you would have survived much longer in that place if he hadn't gone looking for you. I'm not trying to tell you everything you think about the guy is wrong, because some of it is probably true. Yes, he's killed people, and yes he's lied. But he isn't lying when he says he cares about you." he told her and she stared at him. "And I know it's not easy having feelings for someone who keeps secrets; you can ask my wife about that."

"You keep secrets from your wife?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Not anymore." he told her. "Not for a long time. But I did, and that secret nearly killed someone, and it nearly lost me the one person I can't live without." he told her and she listened. "Look, I'm not trying to sell you on Clint, I promise. I just- if you choose not to see him, even long enough for him to tell you all this himself, I don't want you to leave without hearing this." he said and she nodded.

"Hey you." Adele walked into the room and saw the look on Maggie's face and then looked at Dr. Banner. "What's up, did he just break up with you?" she asked nodding to Bruce who laughed, and Maggie laughed.

"No he didn't break up with me." Maggie scoffed lightly. "He snuck me in contraband."

"Oh finally a doctor with a soul." Adele joked and Bruce chuckled. "I brought you something." Adele said as Bruce stood up.

"What?" Maggie asked.

"Everything you need!" she squealed pulling a gift basket out from behind her back.

"Oh my god." Maggie smiled.

"Isn't it brilliant?" Adele asked as she sat down where Bruce had been sitting. "I got you nail polish, proper shampoo and conditioner, magazines..." Bruce walked out of the room and Maggie looked up when she heard the door close, before looking back at her friend, listening to everything that was in the gift basket.

* * *

A few days passed, every day Adele would come in to see her and spend the entire day there. Maggie finally got around to asking where they were and Adele informed her they were in New York which surprised Maggie, she didn't remember the plane ride much at all. One day Maggie and Adele were walking around the hallways, Adele had brought Maggie a suitcase full of her clothes and shoes which surprised Maggie, but it surprised her even more when she learned Clint had put it together. They were walking around; Maggie had gotten dressed in a pair of her pajamas when they practically ran into a very pregnant woman walking out of a doorway.

"We are so sorry, my friend here is just getting used to walking again." Adele said to the pregnant woman who smiled.

"It's alright, I know the feeling. I'll never get used to walking around like this." the woman smiled and Maggie frowned lightly.

"Are you Pepper Potts? Well, I'm sorry- Pepper Stark, right?" she asked and the woman smiled.

"I am." she said and extended her hand.

"Maggie Noan." she smiled and Pepper's eyebrows rose as her smile faltered slightly, but then she smiled again.

"Oh, wow, good to meet you." she said and Maggie frowned lightly. "Oh god, that sounded wrong." Pepper sighed. "No, uh, it's just, I'm friends with Minnie- The head of SHIELD." she said and Maggie nodded.

"This is SHIELD, right?"

"Yeah, Minnie would have been down here before, but, well it's not too often they have an operative injured in action like this." she shrugged and Maggie frowned.

"That sucks."

"I know." Pepper sighed. "Oh, were you coming to see him?" she asked and Maggie frowned lightly. "Oh honey, you don't know. Clint was in an accident on his way back in."

"Oh my god." Maggie said out of instinct and Pepper nodded.

"Yeah, that's why we're- Oh hey." she smiled as Tony stark walked out of the room and wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Pep, I've got to go back to the tower, Bruce just called and said- Oh hey there Ireland."

"What's up Tony?" Adele asked as she bumped knuckles with Tony. "I may or may not be staying at Stark Mansion." Adele said when Maggie shot her a questioning look.

"No one tells me anything." Maggie sighed.

"So how you doing Tinker Bell?" Tony asked and Maggie shrugged.

"If Tinker Bell is me, then I'm getting there." she said and he nodded.

"Well you're still as skinny as a Tim Burton character, so that's something to work on." he pointed out and she nodded.

"Yeah I know." she agreed. "So, what happened?"

"What? Oh, he's fine!" Tony scoffed as he shrugged at Clint's door. "He dislocated his shoulder and has a couple cracked ribs, which just means no crawling around in the air vents for a few weeks."

"But he's okay?" Maggie asked and Tony cocked his head slightly as he looked her over and then shrugged.

"Why don't you go find out?" he smirked and Maggie stared at him for a moment.

"Maggie you do not have to listen to him." Pepper said quickly.

"I know." Maggie said as she looked at Adele. "Let's go back." she said and Adele sighed but nodded. "It was nice to meet you Mrs. Stark." Maggie said to Pepper who waved.

"Feel better sweetie." she said and Adele led her back to her room.

As Maggie lay in bed that evening she couldn't stop herself from thinking back to when she and Clint were together. Even if it was all an act on his behalf, it felt so real to her.

* * *

The were sitting on Adele's couch, she was gone for the weekend and had lent the key to Maggie, the two were curled up on the couch together where Maggie was resting against him, her back to his chest, and his arms wrapped around her as they watched TV. Clint lightly kissed the top of her head and then stopped, before looking down at her. "Did you change your shampoo or something?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm trying this new lavender chamomile shampoo, it's supposed to be really good for my hair type." she said and he lifted a hand to run his fingers through her soft hair. She smiled as he leaned forward and smelled her hair and then dipped his face down to kiss her neck. "So, hey, I was wondering, why don't you ever talk about your family?"

"Ah." he said and she looked back at him, turning her body slightly so she could see him without craning her neck. "Yeah about that..."

"You're married aren't you?"

"Will you drop the married stuff?" he laughed. "I'm not married." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. He let out a small sigh when the kiss ended and rested his forehead against hers. "I have no family." he told her.

"What like, you don't talk to them?"

"No." he answered as he ran his fingers though her hair. "My parents died when I was little." he told her and she winced.

"Clint, I am so sorry." she said as she cupped his face.

"Don't be, you weren't the one who smashed into their car." he told her. She nodded as she ran her thumb over his cheek.

"I know but that's not something anyone should have to go through." she commented and he nodded as he leaned into her touch slightly. "How old were you?"

"Six." he said softly and she sat up. Rather than saying anything she wrapped her arms around his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist slowly, he hadn't spoken about it in so long he had almost forgotten how it felt. He laid his head against her chest. "I went to live in an orphanage." he told her and looked up at her.

"What happened after that?" she asked and he sighed, burying his face in her shirt as he thought about his years in the circus, everything with his brother, Trick Shot, and the Swordsman, being trained in archery, and becoming a circus attraction for those years...

"I aged out." he lied. "When I was sixteen."

"What did you do?"

"Got a little work here and there." he shrugged. "And when I was seventeen I managed to convince the military I was old enough to join." he sighed.

"And now you work for the outdoor adventure place."

"That's right." he nodded. She had lain back on the couch and he was laying to her side, his arms still wrapped around her, using her chest as a pillow. "I don't like to think about it much." he admitted. "It's just my past. It's not who I am now."

"Clint, your past is what defines who you are now." she said and he looked up at her.

"If that's so, how come with your family, you're so calm and collected and you aren't pissed at the world?" he asked and she chuckled lightly.

"I can be pissed at the world sometimes. I'm not fun to be around when I am." she admitted. "But with my family, it's difficult. I want to honor and support them, but they make it so hard. I can't even think straight with them sometimes." she shook her head. "I just have to remember to be who I am and who I want to be as opposed to who they want and expect me to be, but try to find a middle ground so that everyone is happy. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." he nodded and looked up at her. She smiled at him, her left dimple sinking in, making him smile and reach up to lightly brush his thumb over it. She giggled and he pulled her down to his level to kiss her. After the kiss he buried his face in her hair and breathed in. "God I love this new shampoo." he groaned and she laughed.

* * *

"Alright, I'm clocking out for the night." one of the nurses came into the room and Maggie looked at her.

"Hey, uh..."

"_Cath._" the nurse gently reminded her.

"Sorry." Maggie said and Cath nodded.

"What's up sweetie?"

"Well I was just wondering, is Clint still here? Clint uh, Barton I think his last name is?"

"He's here." Cath said with a small smile. "Room 215." she said before she closed the blinds in Maggie's room. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night Cath." she said before the nurse walked out. When Cath was gone the new nurse Edina checked in with her before going to check on other patients and Maggie got out of the bed. She checked her hair in the mirror above her sink, it was braided so she didn't have to worry about it being too bad, and then she put on a little chap stick before walking down the hallway to the room she had seen Tony Stark come out of earlier that day. She knocked on the closed door and heard someone respond with a gruff _"Come in."_ before she pushed the door open, and closed it behind her.

"Come to kill me off?" Clint asked as Maggie stood there, staring at him. "I swear, it looks worse than it is." He was shirtless with ace bandages wrapped around his ribs, he had a sling on his right arm, and his eye was slightly bruised.

"You look like shit." she finally said and he chuckled before wincing, wheezing and putting his left hand to his ribs.

"Christ Maggs, I know I deserve it but can't you pick a better time?" he whined and she nodded.

"Right, I'll go." she turned away and he called out to her.

"Wait wait!" he called "I'm sorry." she turned back and sighed.

"Lay back down." she said and he shook his head.

"Not until you stay." he said quickly.

"Clint, I don't know what I was thinking coming here, just- forget I was in here, okay?"

"Impossible." he said as he threw back the covers and started to get up.

"No, Clint," she moved forward, as he stepped out of the bed and almost lost his balance. "You're on some heavy painkillers." she said when she saw the IV hooked up to his arm.

"Hey they actually got me into the hospital long enough to examine me. They give me the good stuff when I don't make a big deal about this." he said as she helped him get back into bed. "Your hands are cold." he said as she touched his arm.

"Sorry." she moved her hand, but he caught it in his left hand. He held her hand for a moment before he let go and reached over to the machine controlling his morphine and turned it off. "Clint are you crazy?" she asked as she went to turn it back on.

"Need the nurse key to turn it back on." he informed her. "Why are you in here Maggie?" he asked and she looked from the machine to him.

"I don't know. I heard you had an accident."

"Nothing serious." he said and she gestured to him.

"Nothing serious?" she asked. "You're covered in bruises and a sling and-" he caught her hand again and pulled her close to his bed.

"_Why are you here_?" he repeated, emphasizing the question.

"Because I think we need to talk." she said before her mind to mouth filter could kick in.

* * *

_**Oh boy, what could Maggie have to talk about?! It's not a profession of her undying love... Or Is It...? Find out next time on another gripping tale of My Aim Is True! (I've had a lot of sugar today)**_

_**P.S. Reviews inspire me to write faster.** _


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey y'all! I just tried typing something other than y'all, and it looked so wrong I had to delete it and type y'all. I just want you guys to know that. Anyways, here's Chapter 10! That's right, we made it ten chapters! Things are going to start picking up a little in the next couple of chapters, not like end of the story is coming up soon- because it isn't- but it'll pick up a bit. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **_

_**Has anyone else noticed, Ryan Reynolds played Wade Wilson (Deadpool) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and pretty much everyone hated that movie, and he also played Matt Murdock (Daredevil) in '03 and that was a major flop that some people refuse to recognize, and then he played Hal Jordan (The Green Lantern), which was another disappointment to fans. Is it just me or does Ryan Reynolds just need to avoid superhero films? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the man, he's amazing, and I don't blame him, I know it's the studios/writers/producers, etc. But sometimes you just have to go "Yeah, no more superhero films for me". Plus, there's rumor that he's going to be in the Deadpool movie (God knows when that's actually going to happen), and there's also rumor that the Justice League film will come out in 2015. I'll give Ryan this- he is passionate about his roles, especially the Green Lantern, but I just wonder if he's right for superhero films? **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel (Or the DC character mentioned above) characters. All you recognize not from my universe belongs to Stan Lee and Disney. ** _

* * *

Maggie was silent; she tried to make sense of what she had just said. Clint stared up at her as she stood there, slightly shocked, and unsure of what to say. He finally broke the silence by patting the side of his bed. He moved over, giving her room to sit down and she shook her head. "No, no, I'll take the chair." she said softly and moved the chair over next to the bed. She sat down and he sat up, waiting for her to speak. "I uh, Thank you." she said after a long moment and looked up at Clint. "I never got to say thank you." she continued and he nodded.

"You don't have to thank me Maggie." he said softly, looking away he then quickly added. "You know we're going to have to find out what you know about your father's whereabouts soon-"

"Clint," she cut him off and he looked back at her. "I don't know why I'm here. Maybe to tell you I took your advice- or I tried to."

"Which sibling was it?" he asked and she looked down, before looking back at him.

"Scotty." she told him and he nodded.

"He was your younger brother right?" he asked and she nodded. "He was the one that used to follow you around?"

"Yeah." she nodded again. "He looked up to me."

"What happened?"

"He was diabetic. Too much insulin." she said softly. Clint reached over and lightly stroked her cheek where he knew her cheek would dimple when she smiled. Maggie smiled softly and touched his hand. "It's a lot to take in." she muttered. "I mean my whole life I was told family is the most important thing, and then it turns out my family consists of people more than willing to kill me." she chewed on her lip for a moment before looking back at him. "And now I'm sitting here telling all this to you because you're the only person who really understands my family, even more then me probably, and you're only listening because you were hired to kill my father." she shook her head. "I'm supposed to hate you, and part of me does, and that part of me is telling me with every fiber of it's being not to trust you," she explained and Clint looked away. "But then all of your friends, and even my friend, have spent this time telling me the complete opposite of what you told me and I want so much to believe it. I want to believe them, I don't want to believe what you told me." she continued. "And I'm so confused." her voice cracked slightly and Clint nodded.

"I can't take back what I said at the time." Clint told her. "Because I wanted you to go and live your life and not dwell on the past- our past." he looked at her. "But when I heard about him resurfacing, I had to make sure you were okay. And, under strict order from Adele, if you weren't okay, I was to make you okay." he explained and she let out a small laugh.

"I still do hate you though."

"I deserve it." he laughed and she smiled.

"I did dwell on the past- A little." she admitted and he nodded.

"So did I." he sighed before the door opened.

"There you are." the night nurse said and Maggie looked over at her. "You need to come back to your own room."

"Edina, leave her alone." Clint sighed.

"Why is that off?" the nurse asked gesturing to the Morphine drip.

"Because I'm an active agent who can handle pain way worse than a few cracked ribs." Clint replied and the nurse shot him a look. "You know if you want to improve your scary look you should really talk to Director Banner." Clint said casually and Edina rolled her eyes.

"Talk to me about what?" a voice from the doorway said and they looked over.

"Director, Agent Barton is refusing his morphine."

"You know, do me a favor Edina, can you go get me a cup of tea please?" Minnie smiled at the nurse who sighed. "Get one for these two as well." she pointed to them and Edina walked out of the room. "Well," she smiled when the nurse was gone. "I never liked her." she shook her head and Clint chuckled, and then groaned.

"Dammit Min," he said as he put his hand to his ribs.

"That one's on you Clint." she shook her head and looked at Maggie. "Hi, I'm Minnie, Bruce's wife. My husband says you're doing better."

"Your husband is a total sweetheart."

"Yeah I'm kind of fond of him." Minnie winked with a laugh and Maggie smiled. "Look, I just came to give these to Clint," she turned to Clint and handed him an envelope. "From the girls." she smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Ah, thanks." he grinned, then it quickly fell. "School didn't start yet did it?"

"Tomorrow morning." Minnie shook her head.

"Min, I've _got_ to get out of here." he said quickly.

"You aren't going anywhere for a few more days, you know the drill with broken ribs." she shook her head.

"But I promised Kayla." he practically whined.

"She'll understand." she said sternly.

"Well, tell me this, did she get in the same class as that rude girl who calls her names?" Minnie's face fell slightly and he sighed. "Come on, you couldn't do anything about it?"

"What am I supposed to do Clint, there will always be someone calling other kids names. So long as my kid isn't a bully, I'll teach her how to handle it." she walked over and kissed Clint's cheek. "I'll bring her by tomorrow." she said before turning to Maggie. "It was great to meet you finally." Minnie smiled warmly at her and Maggie smiled back. The nurse came back with three Styrofoam cups of tea and Minnie picked one up. "Thanks, it's really getting cold out." she said and Edina glared at her.

"Don't you think someone should be getting back to her room?"

"Well I know you watch TV in there, but I don't think I'd call it your room." Minnie said with a small frown. Edina looked shocked and Minnie smiled. "Don't forget, performance reviews are coming up soon." she winked at Maggie and Clint before leaving. Edina left the two alone and Maggie looked back at Clint.

"Maybe I should go." Maggie said as she started to get up.

"If you're going somewhere, I know the perfect place to go."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, three floors down, to the left of the elevator, go to the third room on the right, we'll go there and be right back."

"What?" she laughed as he pulled the IV out of his arm. "Oh, Jeeze, Clint!" she gasped and grabbed a tissue. She held it to the spot on his arm and he smiled at her before looking down at himself.

"I am way too obvious." he sighed. "Bring me that backpack." he pointed to a backpack sitting on the counter under the TV in the room. She brought it to him as he pulled the sling off of his arm.

"Are you sure it's okay to take that off?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Nope." he grinned. She smiled as he went to reach behind his head and stopped. "Maggie, I need you to untie this." he said referring to his hospital gown. She blushed lightly and he smirked. "Don't worry, I'm wearing pants under this." he said and she laughed lightly, but didn't say anything, she was still blushing. She untied the hospital gown and shook her head when she realized he was wearing a pair of athletic shorts under the hospital gown.

"Why are you wearing sports shorts?"

"For when I need to make a quick getaway." he told her and pulled a shirt from the backpack. "Thank you Nat." he said as he smelled the shirt and then slipped his arms through the sleeves. He started to pull the shirt over his head and groaned as he tried to lift his shoulder. Maggie moved in front of him and helped get the shirt over his head. He gave her a small smile before reaching into the backpack again and pulling out a pair of shoes. He dropped them on the floor and hopped off the bed, slipping them onto his feet. He looked at Maggie and then pulled a hoodie out of the backpack. "Put this on," he told her and she frowned as she looked down at herself, she had on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants.

"What's wrong with this?"

"People see the sweatshirt, they'll think we were just training." he told her and she shrugged before pulling it on. She regretted it instantly, it smelled like him. As she started to pull it off Clint grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door with him. "Do you trust me?" he asked and she hesitated.

"Ask me that later." she said and he looked back at her, before nodding and looking forward.

"Well, either way, the coast is clear." he said before he pulled her out of the hospital room with him. She shut the door behind them and he pulled her along to the elevator and hit the button.

"She's coming." Maggie whispered to Clint the moment she saw Edina the nurse exit a room and start walking to the nurse's station. Clint pressed them both up against the wall, trying to stay out of Edina's line of sight. Maggie's heart was beating in her chest; she was between Clint and the wall. He wasn't looking at her, he was watching Edina, but Maggie was looking at him.

It felt like forever, but the elevator finally reached their floor and opened its doors. Clint turned and stepped into it, pulling Maggie along behind him. She stepped away from him slightly, her heart still pounding; she looked at the side of the elevator and took a few deep breaths before the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Clint gestured for her to follow him which she did, and they walked out of the elevator.

"Act casual." he muttered to her as he led her down the hallway, and to the room he had identified as a kitchen. When they got there Clint shut the door behind them and grinned.

"How long do you think we have before they notice we're gone?" she asked as he used his left hand to open a few cabinets.

"We've got awhile. They're less likely to check on us, because aside from my shoulder I'm fine, and- Well, aside from you needing to gain some weight, you're doing a lot better." he told her and she frowned slightly.

"How do you know that?"

"Same way you do, I asked your doctors." he told her and she stared at him as he pulled a bag of popcorn from the cabinet. "Score." he grinned and went to the microwave. He opened the plastic around the bag with his teeth and threw the bag into the microwave before punching in the appropriate time. "What?" he asked and Maggie shrugged.

"Oh I don't know, just the fact that you ask my doctors about me." she said and he raised his eyebrows.

"It's not like I could ask you." he stated.

"Why? Why couldn't you ask me?"

"You didn't want to see me."

"No Clint, I wanted to see you- I just don't know how to process all of this, you know?" she asked tearfully as she put a hand to her forehead. He stood there for a moment before he walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle, but not too tight because of his ribs.

"Hey Maggie?" he asked and she looked up at him. "Did you change shampoo again?" he asked and she laughed, she couldn't help it. He smiled as she his hit left arm and let go of him, wiping her eyes with her hand. "So what do you want to do?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know." she sighed, and then eyes the microwave. "I kind of want to eat that popcorn." she said and he smiled.

"There you are." he lightly tapped the bottom of her chin with his knuckle and she smiled. "I've been asking around, I thought I'd have a nurse or Bruce or someone tell you, but since you aren't trying to dismember me with a butter knife, I figured I could tell you."

"Don't be so sure, this could just me a momentary thing. I may dismember you with a butter knife yet." she said and he nodded.

"Noted, I was going to say, SHIELD has a pretty great counseling program." he told her and she looked away from the microwave at him. "It's just something to think about." he told her and she nodded.

"I'll think about it." she agreed before taking the bag out of the microwave.

"Good, now, grab a couple of the sodas from the fridge, and let's get out of here." he said nodding to the door. She grabbed a few cans of coke and stuck them in the pocket to his hoodie before she followed him out of the kitchen. They both walked with their heads ducked to the elevator and he pushed the button.

"Does it help?" she asked and he looked at her. "Talking about it I mean."

"Well, do you feel better after venting to me?" he asked and she nodded. "Then it helps." he said and the doors to the elevator opened. They stepped inside and he held the close door button as well as the number button. The elevator didn't stop until they got to their floor. "Police trick." he said when he caught her staring. They went back to his room and he sat on the bed, only kicking off his shoes. She pulled the cold cokes from the pocket of the hoodie, but left it on as she sat on the chair. "Come on, you can't tell me saying screw you to the establishment- and by establishment, I mean Edina, isn't fun." he grinned and she smiled lightly.

"It's fun." she nodded. He opened the bag of popcorn and caught her staring.

"Come on." he said patting the bed next to him. She narrowed her eyes and he held out the bag of popcorn.

"What are you luring me?" she asked and he grinned.

"If I have to." he replied. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him before taking a handful of the popcorn. "Not so bad, right?" he asked with a wink and she smiled.

"Don't push it." she said warningly and he shook his head.

"I wouldn't dream of it." he said. She munched on a few pieced of popcorn while he watched and then looked at him, realizing he was watching.

"What?" she asked.

"Just... trying not to dwell on the past." he stated and she nodded. "Can I ask you something?" he asked and she looked at him.

"You just did." she said and he shook his head. "What?"

"Did you date?" he asked and she frowned.

"Yeah." she said simply.

"No, that's good." he said and her frown deepened.

"Didn't you?"

"Not so much _date_ as I saw girls occasionally." he said, then thought for a moment. "Colin?" he asked.

"_No._" she smiled and he grinned.

"God I bet he loved it when you told him what happened."

"Oh he did." she nodded and he chuckled.

"How long did it take him to ask you out?"

"He tried to do the whole "_I'm there for you_" thing, and get close to me, and then make me his girlfriend while I was emotionally messed up." she explained and Clint scowled. "It didn't work."

"Of course it didn't, you're too smart for that crap." Clint said and she shrugged.

"It didn't work because he defended my father." she said softly and Clint looked at her. She popped a few more pieces of popcorn into her mouth and looked at him. "Yeah." she nodded. "He said that my dad was just trying to do right for the family and that I should respect his wishes." she explained. "Why did you-" she reached out to touch him and then stopped. She caught his eyes with hers and he nodded, she reached out and ran her fingers over the area where she knew her father's bullet had grazed his head.

"I'm sorry." he said softly and she shook her head.

"Don't be, we all knew Colin was an idiot." she said with a small sigh.

"No, Maggs," he caught her hand with his. She looked at him and he looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry." he said and she looked to the side before nodding.

"I want to tell you I forgive you," she told him as he let go of her hand. "And it doesn't hurt that you've saved my life- Twice." she laughed and he smiled before handing the bag of popcorn to her. She laughed and he smiled.

"You need it more than I do." he told her.

* * *

The next morning Maggie woke up in her hospital room to someone whispering her name. She sat up quickly and heard a very familiar chuckle. "Sorry," Clint apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Seven. I need you to come with me." he told her and she sighed.

"Wait- what?"

"We're going on a little field trip." he grinned. "Get dressed."

"Fine." she groaned and got out of bed. She grabbed some clothes from her bag and went into the bathroom He waited for her as she washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair and put on deodorant. She slipped on the clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. "God I'm so fucking skinny." she muttered as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"You'll gain weight, you're fine." he told her and she nodded as she slipped on her shoes.

"Even my shoes feel loose." she told him and he looked her over.

"Well, I think you look great either way." he told her and she nodded as she followed him. "Act cool." he muttered to her as they walked down the hall. It was a lot busier than it had been the night before when they were sneaking around looking for junk food. They reached the elevator with no problem and she pressed the button. When it finally came Clint did the whole pushing the close door button and the ground floor button at the same time.

"How's your shoulder feeling?" she asked and he shrugged the uninjured shoulder.

"I took some painkillers before leaving." he told her and she nodded. They got to the ground floor and Clint pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. "They know I won't say in the hospital for too long so they won't pay me any attention, just act like you belong and they won't bother you either." he informed her and she nodded. "We'll grab a cab when we get outside." he stated as the doors opened. They walked through a lobby where people in suits were walking towards elevators, some who had been working night shifts were leaving, a girl with insanely curly blonde hair flashed Clint a huge smile and he swore under his breath.

"Who's that?" Maggie asked.

"Heather, she's Coulson's girlfriend."

"Who?"

"Oh you haven't met Coulson yet." he said with a shake of his head. "You'll meet him. _Probably today_."

"Agent Barton," someone said suddenly and Clint turned slightly.

"Agent Sitwell." he said awkwardly.

"I wanted to ask you about the incident in Virginia-"

"Yeah, we'll talk later, I've got a meeting." Clint said quickly. "See ya." he grinned before grabbing Maggie's hand and practically yanking her out the front doors.

"Oh my god." Maggie breathed. "We're in-"

"Time Square. Yeah." he grinned and she looked at him.

"How does no one notice this?" she asked, bewildered.

"People see what they want to see. Do you think they want to see a government building full of spies in the middle of Time Square?" she shook her head. "They think it's a very exclusive hotel." he explained as he walked to the curb and waved down a taxi. "Come on." he said and held open the door for her. She slid into the taxi, barely aware of what he was saying as he gave the driver the address, she was too busy looking around at everything there was around her. "You've never been to New York huh?" he asked and she looked at him.

"I told you I didn't travel much."

"Not even in the past few years?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, I mean, I lived in Ireland, I came back, and then I was... Sick." she explained.

"Well if you want, after I've been busted for leaving the hospital early and dragging you along with me, I'll show you around." he smiled and she nodded.

"I'd like that." she said.

* * *

_**Yeah, sorry guys, no deceleration of undying love. Did you really think Maggie was going to just declare her undying love for the guy? I'm not going to make it that easy! It's like you guys don't even know me. ;) **_

_**Reviews are much appreciated and extremely inspiring.** _


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hey ya'll, here's chapter 11, I hope you enjoy it! **_

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed regarding my last post, you are absolutely right, Daredevil was Ben Affleck. I usually post my chapters around four am, s around that time you could pretty much tell me that Matt Damon was in Titanic instead of Leo DiCaprio, and I'd go with it. I'm not really known for fact checking at four am. Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys for that, and here is chapter 11. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. That fact has sent me into a deep depression. ;)**_

* * *

They got to the address Clint had given the driver and Maggie was surprised to see it was a grammar school. "What are we doing here?" she asked as they got out of the cab. Clint paid the cabbie and looked at Maggie.

"I promised a young lady I'd see her to her first day of school." he told her and she smiled.

"Mrs. Banner's child?"

"Yeah, Kayla." he nodded. "She's my partner in crime." he smiled.

"So why am I here?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Well, I figured you'd want to get the hell out of that hospital." he said and she nodded with a smile. "I mean, I was only there for a few days and I was going crazy. I could only imagine how you felt."

"No kidding." she agreed and he looked around.

"God, this brings back memories."

"I knocked out a tooth on my first day of first grade." Maggie smiled and he looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, this one." she pointed to her right front tooth. "I fell off the monkey bars."

"Learned the hard way you couldn't fly?" someone said from behind them and they turned around to see Tony standing there. "Pepper couldn't come, she was having a morning." he explained before looking at Maggie. "Glad to see Tink could make it though."

"Tink?" Clint looked at Maggie.

"He calls me Tinker Bell, speaking of which, you told him that faerie story didn't you?" she asked and he held up his hands.

"I swear I didn't." he said and Tony looked at the two, both amused and intrigued.

"Come on, Thor is trying to use a video camera." Tony grinned as he nodded to an area where there was a group of people. Maggie smiled recognizing Dr. Banner and Mrs. Banner, Mrs. Banner was kneeling down in front of a little girl with perfectly curly red hair, she looked to be about five or six and was dressed in the cutest little outfit. She had on a Where the Wild Things Are tee shirt with a blue skirt with orange and white flowers on it. She had on white tights and a pair of pale blue converse and a little pale blue beret. Mrs. Banner looked up and saw Clint and Maggie and shot Clint a look before she leaned forward and whispered to the young girl who turned around and grinned.

"You came!" she shouted as Clint knelt down and caught the little speeding bullet of pale blue and red.

"Oh ow, watch it kiddo." he groaned.

"Mommy said you're in the hospital."

"I _am_ in the hospital." he winked and she grinned before kissing his cheek. "Aww." he pretended to faint, falling on the sidewalk, making him wince and her laugh. A few parents looked annoyed as they had to step over or around Clint and Maggie laughed. "Help me up Maggs." he groaned and she scoffed.

"You got yourself down there." she said crossing her arms.

"Come on help me up." he said extending his hand to her.

"No way I've fallen for that one before." she said and then smiled at Kayla. "I like your shirt."

"It's my favorite book." she said as she looked at the shirt. The rest of the group was walking over and a large- and by large, Maggie realized what she really meant was huge- blonde man grabbed Clint's hand and hoisted him up.

"Ah, thanks Thor." Clint said and looked at Maggie who was chatting with the young girl.

"Nice to see you up and about." Bruce said to Maggie who smiled. "Who did Clint have to kill to get you out here?"

"No one, we just walked out." she said and Minnie shot Clint a look that clearly said _"Busted"_. "But," Maggie added. "I ate an entire bag of popcorn last night." she smiled proudly and Bruce grinned.

"That's great." he said and then looked down at his daughter. "What do you think Kiddo; think Uncle Thor has enough footage of today?"

"No." she said without looking away from the camera the huge blonde man known as Thor was holding. A man with white blonde hair laughed and reached over to adjust the girl's beret.

"Leave her alone Love bug." he said looking at Bruce. "She needs all the camera time she can get, right Princess?" he asked and she looked at her dad.

"I'm gonna be a household name." she smiled and Maggie couldn't help but laugh. "Dallas says the camera loves me."

"Yes it does sweetie."

"I do not understand." Thor spoke. "The camera is made of plastic and metal parts, yes? How can it then feel emotion?"

"Remember that book on idioms we got you?" a man with scruffy brown hair and a pair of black lensed glasses asked. "That's probably in there."

"There you are." Natasha Romanoff walked over to the group, sliding a cell phone into her pocket as she stared accusingly at Clint who grinned.

"Good to see you too Nattie." he smiled. "You remember Maggie." he nodded to her and Natasha's green eyes grew slightly as she looked Maggie over.

"You look-"

"Emaciated, like a Tim Burton character-" everyone looked at Tony at that one "Like that?" she shrugged and Natasha crossed her arms.

"Different." Natasha said simply.

"Okay kiddo," Minnie was saying as she took her daughter by the hand. "Time to go inside." Kayla looked nervous but allowed her mom to walk her to the door of the classroom before she latched herself to her dad's leg.

"No." she said quickly and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Kayla, you've got to go to class." Bruce said as he knelt down in front of her, making her let go of his leg. She looked up at him with her large brown eyes full of tears. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before she pulled on his shirt. He let her whisper in his ear for a moment before he smiled and looked at Tony who knelt down next to the two. She whispered to him and he smiled before ruffling her hair. He whispered back to her and she grinned before she nodded.

"Promise?" she asked and he held out his pinky making her link hers with his.

"Promise." he winked and she nodded before throwing her arms around his neck. After hugging each of the Avengers and clinging to her mother like a kola bear for a moment or two even after Minnie let go of her, the girl just clung to her she finally walked into her classroom. As she did a little blonde girl walked up. Kayla let her go into the class first and then pointed at her.

"Is that Gwen?" Clint asked and Minnie nodded.

"Go Get 'Em Kiddo!" a loud booming voice said to their right and everyone looked at the large man with a large stomach and a large round face with a scruffy looking mustache called.

"Father of Gwen?" Tony asked and Bruce nodded.

"That's him." Minnie mumbled. The man turned and caught the group looking at him disdainfully; he scoffed and walked away, getting into a large truck.

"So," Tony clapped his hands together as parents started leaving the parking lot. "Breakfast anyone?"

"That sounds good." Steve agreed.

"Yeah." Natasha nodded, as did the brown haired guy standing next to her.

"Sure, then we'll take those two back to the hospital." Minnie nodded to Clint and Maggie, Clint who grinned and Maggie who shrugged. "Thor?" the huge blonde looked at her through the camera lens and she rolled her eyes. "Turn off the camera." she demanded and he sighed as he lowered the camera and turned it off. "Do you want to go have breakfast?"

"My body does require nourishment." he nodded and she smiled.

"Okay, where do we want to go?"

"There's a good place about seven blocks from here." the man next to Natasha spoke up.

"Oh, I know the one you're talking about." Tony nodded. "It's on this street on the left, little outdoor place, it's pretty good." Tony told everyone.

* * *

When they all got there they got a few tables pushed together and sat down. The waitress brought everyone menus and took their drink orders before everyone started chatting with one another. Tony and Bruce were talking about something, the white haired man that Clint informed Maggie was named Dallas was talking to Minnie, Natasha and the man wearing sunglasses that Clint told her was named Matt were talking, Steve and Thor had a conversation going about a TV show they had watched the night before, leaving Maggie and Clint.

"It was sweet of you to break out of the hospital to go see her off on her first day." Maggie smiled to Clint who grinned.

"She's my niece, I had a promise to keep." he grinned and she smiled. The waitress soon came and brought their food and then left, Maggie picked at the order of oatmeal she had ordered. "Is your food okay?" Clint asked and she nodded.

"It's fine." she smiled at him. "It's just different, you get so used to Irish oatmeal that, it's kind of funny not eating it." she explained and he nodded.

"You should have heard Clint after that mission, he kept using Irish phrases." Natasha spoke up and Maggie laughed.

"Like what?" she asked and Clint glared at Natasha who was grinning.

"He's go to the "_petrol_" station, or he'd want to go on "_Holiday_", he'd get annoyed at me for "_Taking the piss_", things like that." Natasha said and Clint shook his head.

"Don't listen to her, she's crazy." he said to Maggie.

"Here I almost expected you to say she's mad." she replied and everyone laughed as Clint groaned.

"Oh happy days." he muttered looking at Maggie making her laugh.

"That's another one." she pointed at him and he grinned before realizing most of the table was looking at the two. "I'll be right back." Maggie said as she stood up. She put her napkin on her chair and walked to the bathroom, when she came out she was walking back to the table when she heard a few girls at the table near theirs talking lowly (But not lowly enough) to each other.

_"She's so skinny-" _

_"She's probably bulimic, you saw how long she was in the bathroom." _

_"Does she really think her boyfriend likes that look?" _

_"God I know right. I mean what guy likes the bag of bones look?"_ Maggie paused hearing the conversation, and then went and sat down next to Clint again.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Nothing." she said looking at him with a small smile.

"That's the same look you used to give me when your uncle was making life miserable for you." he said softly as to not attract attention to their conversation.

"It's nothing important." she said softly.

"But it's something." he pestered and she sighed.

"See those girls at the table over there?" she nodded to it and he casually looked over.

"Yeah."

"They're convinced I'm bulimic, and they want to know what man could possibly find me attractive with this bag of bones look." she admitted and he started to stand up. "No." she grabbed his hand and he looked down at her, the rest of their group looked over as she stared up at him. "Sit. Down." she hissed and he stared down at her for a moment. "Don't do this." she pleaded and Clint sighed.

"Maggs-"

"_Sit._" she whispered and he slowly sat back down. "It's not worth it." she said as he looked at her, then to the table where the bitchy girls were laughing together about something.

"What's up?" Natasha asked and Clint looked at Maggie who rolled her eyes.

"Nothing, just, stupid, opinionated people who enjoy talking about other people they don't know behind their back." Maggie said simply and Natasha looked at Clint who nodded to the table. She looked casually and Matt tilted his head.

"Wow they're really petty." he said and Maggie frowned lightly.

"He's got great hearing." Clint explained and she nodded.

"Sweetie," Dallas said suddenly looking at Maggie. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it- _Some People_ just can't handle being in the same room as an _Italian supermodel_." he turned and looked at the two girls pointedly who were staring at the table. "_Obviously_ some people aren't keeping up with Italian _Vogue_." he turned back to Maggie and winked making her laugh.

"You know the scary part is, you actually are as skinny as some of those girls." Minnie said and Natasha shook her head.

"I know right, it's like, oh, I'm sorry, _excuse me_ for actually having an ass." Natasha scowled.

"Amen to that." Tony grinned and Minnie smacked his shoulder.

"Hey the only one here allowed to talk about Natasha's ass is me." Matt grinned making Natasha smack his shoulder. He laughed and she shook her head. "Well, that's actually my cue," he said as he stood up. "I've got to be in court at eleven."

"Court?" Maggie asked and Clint nodded.

"Matt's a lawyer." he explained and she nodded.

"That's right, let me know when you want to sue your family, I'll do it for free." he grinned and she looked down. "Too soon?"

"Yeah." she looked up at him and he nodded.

"Sorry."

"I'll keep your offer in mind." she told him and he smiled.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Natasha stood up.

"I'm a New Yorker. I'll take the subway." he smiled. "But you do have something of mine in your car."

"I'll be right back." she went outside and returned with a cane like the ones blind people use. "Here." she handed it to him and he took it.

"There it is." he smiled. "I'll call you later." he said and leaned in, the two shared a kiss and then he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a few bills. "Enough?" he asked and she pushed two of the balls back into his wallet.

"That's good." she told him and he nodded before leaving.

"I had no idea he's blind." Maggie stated and Natasha smiled.

"People rarely do."

After breakfast everyone was leaving when Clint leaned over to Maggie. "I've got yours, don't worry about it." he told her and she nodded.

"I'll pay you back I promise."

"Don't worry about it." he repeated and she looked down.

"You know Maggie," Minnie said when Clint and Maggie got into the car and started driving back to SHIELD. "Your family had reported you kidnapped." she stated and Maggie looked at her in shock, and then nodded.

"Well, I guess that makes sense." she told her. "But I'm..." she paused and looked at Clint and Bruce, before she cleared her throat. "I'm old enough to live on my own and to make my own decisions."

"Maggs, we both know how old you are." Clint said and she glared at him.

"That butter knife thing is still an option." she looked at him and he grinned.

"Yeah honey, don't worry about it. We've got some agents going to take care of it." Minnie said and Clint looked at her.

"You couldn't wait until I was-"

"No, we couldn't. You show up on their doorstep and it'll turn into World War three in Santa Barbara and Tony won't be there to back you up." she told him and he sighed. "Not to mention if World War three broke out on American soil, Steve would never forgive me." she muttered and Bruce laughed. "Like I said Maggie, we're taking care of it."

"You'll never really take care of it- As long as he's out there, we're all targets."

* * *

Later after she had been lectured by her doctor and three nurses Maggie was sitting in her room, reading a book when Bruce walked in, knocking on the door lightly. "How you feeling?" he asked and she shrugged. "Well, they say that you're doing so well, if you gain a few more pounds by the end of the week you can start out patient care." he told her and she smiled before looking down. "What's going on?"

"Where do I go?" she asked and he nodded.

"That's actually why I'm here." he told her as he shut the door behind him. "You can't tell my wife I showed you the insides of these files." he told her and she frowned.

"I thought you don't keep secrets." she said and he nodded.

"Not on the important things. But right now, she's in a meeting with the heads of three huge cooperation's, one of whom paid a lot of money to Oscorp to fund the whole anti mutant crap that went on. I will never know what was said in that meeting." he stated and she nodded. "Minnie will never know you saw the insides of these folders." he told her and she nodded again and he smiled before walking over and placing the folders in front of her.

"What are these?" she asked and he gestured to the first one.

"That is my SHIELD file." he told her and she opened it. She moved the picture of him over and paused at the picture of the huge, green hulk she had seen on TV before. She looked at him and he nodded. "I am the Hulk." he told her and she looked back at the picture before looking at him.

"Well at least you aren't a ginger." she shrugged and he smiled. "Can you imagine being that shade of green with red hair?" she asked and he laughed lightly. She handed him back his file and opened the next file, expecting to see someone else from the Avengers. Instead it was a photo of a man dressed in a formal General's uniform. She frowned and opened the next folder, it was a different man, she did the next one, looking through the folders before looking at him.

"Knowing that they're out there every day, knowing that they would do anything to get close to me to get just a bit of my DNA to try to recreate what I am, knowing is better than not knowing in my experience." he told her and she nodded.

"Thank you Dr. Banner." she said softly and he gave her a small half smile and nod before he touched her hand.

"Your father is out there, your family is out there, if it was up to them, you would be in the same place I would be if it were up to any of these men." he held up the file. "Do you know what keeps me from going back to Calcutta, or Brazil, or any other of the places I've been in hiding from those bastards?" he asked.

"The fact that you're BFF's with Tony Stark who is both well known as Iron Man, and for not liking to share?" she asked and he laughed lightly. "Not to mention your wife and kid."

"_Kids,_ I've got two actually." he nodded. "Uh, but uh, no actually, well, my family, yes, but, it's my family, and my team. I trust them, and I know being around them is being the safest person in the world. Same goes for my kids and my wife. We're in danger, but we're safe. Does that make sense?"

"I understand." she nodded.

"Which is why, when you get out of here, Tony has offered you a room at the tower."

"The _Stark_ Tower?" she asked and he nodded.

"It'll keep you safe, and I work there every day so I'll be able to check up on your condition, and your family won't be able to lay a hand on you." he smiled and she looked down.

"And you said Tony was okay with this?" he nodded. "Where does he live?"

"Splits his time between the tower and the mansion. And sometimes his place in Malibu, or whatever other house he decides to stay in all over the world." he rolled his eyes and she smiled. "Tony won't have an issue with it at all. I have an entire floor there I don't ever use." he told her and she nodded.

"You're sitting on some prime real estate there Bruce. I know plenty of people who would kill to see the inside of Stark Tower, and you have an entire floor." she smiled.

"I'm holding out on selling my floor for Amanda's college education." he winked and she laughed before she sighed.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"You get out of here, move into the tower, let the press see you there- it's inevitable, it'll happen-" he nodded and she smiled lightly. "You show the world you're fine. You show them where you are, who you're with, and you go on with your life. Sure, there will be an investigation, you were announced kidnapped. You tell them you left, plain and simple. You are an adult; you have the right to go wherever you please, with whomever you please. Show them, that everything in California is jus theatrics." he told her and she smiled.

"You sound like you've done this before." she stated and he nodded.

"There's seven files there," he nodded to the pile. "And those are just the ones who are active threats." he nodded. "As my wife would say- this isn't my first rodeo."

"Thank you Dr. Banner." she said as he left the room.

* * *

**_Hope you enjoyed the chapter! _**

**_Please don't forget to review. Your reviews remind me to write. =)_ **


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hey ya'll, like I promised, we're moving forward with things. Maggie and Clint get close and some interesting developments start up in California. I hope you enjoy it! Also, make sure you read the bottom memo for an important message from one Mrs. Minnie Banner. That's right! **_

_**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters. Anything from Marvel is not mine. Le sigh.** _

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Tony said to Barton as the two stood in the kitchen of Stark Tower. Maggie had started living in Stark Tower, like Bruce had suggested and like Tony had offered- and she finally agreed to it. Adele had gone back to Ireland, seeing as she had to get back to her job teaching the first grade, though she promised to email every day and come back to the states as soon as school went on break. "You're living in the same place, you've got a history, and you just ignored most protocols to make sure she's safe, and you claim you're "_Just Friends_"?" he asked. "How does that even work?" he stared at Clint who just stayed quiet and sipped his coffee. "I get it."

"Do you?" Clint asked and Tony frowned.

"Okay I don't, what are you doing?" he asked and Clint just chuckled and sipped his coffee again before the elevator dinged and they both looked over. The subject of their conversation stepped out of the elevator and smiled at the two.

"Good morning." she said softly.

"Morning Maggs." Clint said and pulled down a mug. He poured her half a cup of coffee and she smiled at him before filling the rest of it with milk.

"Like a little coffee with your dairy?" Tony asked semi bitterly because he hadn't been able to get information out of Clint.

"The doctors say I'm not ready for a real cup of coffee yet, but seeing as they can't stop me now, they gave me a schedule of how to introduce some foods and drinks back into my diet." she explained as she poured a packet of instant oatmeal into a bowl and filled it with water before popping it into the microwave.

"Mr. Stark, your meeting is starting soon." Maggie jumped hearing the voice of Jarvis, the AI who helped run Stark tower.

"I'll never get used to that." she whispered to herself and Clint smiled as she got up and went to the microwave and took the bowl out. She sat down and started to eat.

"See you later Tink." Tony said and she waved as he left.

"Is it a good thing if Tony's giving me nicknames?" she asked and Clint shrugged as he poured himself a second cup of coffee.

"Tony gives everyone nicknames." he told her. "He called Director Fury Captain Eye patch for awhile." he shrugged and she stared at him blankly. "Director Fury was the person who had Minnie's job before her." he explained and she nodded. "And he had an eye patch."

"I gathered."

"He called Coulson Mom for awhile." he nodded and she chuckled. "And uh- Well, we all call her Minnie."

"That's not her real name?"

"Nope. Her given name is Simone. Simone Strong." he explained as he sat down.

"How did he get Minnie from Simone?"

"She reminded him so much of Pepper he called her Mini Pepper or Mini Pep, and then it just turned into Minnie." he shrugged.

"Huh. I never knew that."

"Then there's Bruce. Wow, you would not believe the nicknames he has for that guy."

"Oh I believe it."

"And I have quite a few."

"Obvious ones I'm sure."

"Oh yeah."

"So how did he get Tink for me?"

"The jewelry tree in your room." he said and she looked at him curiously. "It had a necklace of Tinker bell on it. Plus, I was wearing an earphone when you called me Peter Pan."

"I called you Peter Pan?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, when I climbed through your window, the day we "kidnapped" you."

"I don't remember that day much." she shrugged. "I remember you guys moving me, and I remember Dr. Banner asking if I wanted to go. And I remember saying yes." she said as she thought back to that day. "But uh, I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

"You were pretty messed up that day." Clint shrugged and she nodded.

"You know what I do remember though?" she asked and he looked at her curiously. "I remember you offering to show me around New York."

"You feeling up to it?" he asked and she nodded.

"I mean as long as you don't have to work or anything."

"Natasha can cover for me." he shrugged.

"What were you supposed to be doing today?" she asked.

"Breaking in the new recruits. It's been awhile since I've done a surprise evaluation on them, and uh, well, it can wait until tomorrow." he nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Maggs, it's a surprise evaluation." he told her and she smiled. "There's no point in planning it if it's supposed to be a surprise." he said and lightly took her hand. "I'm all yours."

"Actually," she said. "You're the one showing me around. I'm all yours." he smiled and nodded.

"Grab a coat." he told her before he pulled his phone from his pocket and texted Natasha.

They took their subway to their first stop, Clint led Maggie up to the street and led her east. They walked for a few blocks before hitting a very punk looking neighborhood. "Where are we?" she asked with a laugh.

"Remember that crafts fair we went to in Ireland?" he asked and she nodded. "This is St. Mark's Place, New York's answer to it." he grinned and she laughed. "You can find all the best music here, be it on record, or CD, you can get jewelry, clothes, sunglasses, anything really." he said as they walked down the street together.

"This place is so cool." she grinned and then looked at a shop. "Can we go in?"

"In here?" he asked and she nodded and he shrugged before following her inside.

"Excuse me?" she asked the multi facial pierced man working behind the counter. "What's it mean when you say trade?"

"Well, take your coat. If you were to get an appraisal on your coat, and we gave you a price, you could find something in the store at that price and we'd have an even trade." he told her and she nodded.

"Okay, thanks." she smiled.

"Do you want an appraisal on your coat?" he asked and she looked at it.

"Uh... Sure, why not?" she asked and took the coat off and handed it to him. Clint watched as the guy looked over the coat inside and out, and then handed it back to her.

"We'd go forty bucks for it for trade." he told her and she looked at the coat in her hand in surprise.

"Forty bucks for that?" Clint asked.

"It's a European label." the guy shrugged.

"I didn't know that." she said softly. "It was a gift..." she trailed off in thought. "From my dad." she put the coat back on the counter. "Where are your jackets?" she asked and the guy nodded to a wall where jackets were all hung up.

"I uh, didn't mean to grab that, if it was something that would bring up memories." Clint said as he walked over to Maggie as she started looking through the jackets.

"Of course not." she said looking at him with a smile. "I didn't think you would."

"Have you spoken to your parents yet?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, um, Bruce, he says I should get a lawyer, I was thinking about talking to Matt later."

"That's probably a good idea." he nodded.

"What do you think of this?" she held up a suede jacket with flowers embroidered on it, along the sides and the cuffs of the sleeves. On the back a bird was embroidered with flowers around it.

"It's very you." he told her and she smiled. After trading the jacket- a trade that cost an extra twenty dollars that Clint quickly paid, even though Maggie wanted to find something else, he took her hand and took her outside again.

"I need to get a job." she told him and he looked at her curiously.

"Why?" he asked and she rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Because you can't keep paying for everything." she told him, and then thought for a moment. "Is there a Wells Fargo somewhere around here?" she asked and he smiled.

"You switched banks?" he asked and she nodded.

"I may have been pissed, but you were right... About a lot of what you said." he smiled and then pulled his phone out of his pocket. "What phone is that?" she asked and he looked at it before handing it to her.

"Tony's answer to the iPhone." he told her as she looked it over. She handed it back to him and he opened a small screen. "Jarvis, can you find me a Wells Fargo location close to St. Marks Place?"

"The closest one to you is at Broadway and 10th street Agent Barton, should I send a cab to your location?"

"No Jarvis, that's less than a mile from here." Clint said with a small laugh. "We'll act like New Yorkers and walk."

"Very good Agent Barton." Jarvis said before Clint turned off the phone and put it in his pocket.

"Friendlier than Siri." Clint smiled at Maggie who grinned and he nodded in the direction they needed to go.

"You don't mind stopping do you?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Hey this is your day." he told her as they walked.

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure you weren't planning on showing me the inside of a bank lobby." she pointed out and he shrugged.

"It's a bank lobby _In New York_." he countered and she laughed.

"Cute." she said and he shrugged with a grin. "Let me try the ATM first," she told Clint who nodded and she stepped up to the ATM.

"You know that they're going to be able to trace that." he told her and she nodded.

"I know. The quicker they do, the quicker I can tell them my family is insane and that I left on my own." she told him and he nodded. "Look at that." she sighed as the ATM gave her the money she had requested.

"How is your family not keeping control of the money since you were sick?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I pretended like I was a politician with an offshore banking account." she told him and he laughed. "I burned all of the information when I opened the account and I bought a wallet with a secret pocket for my bank card."

"Where did you get a wallet with a secret pocket?" he asked.

"At a smoke shop in Venice beach." she told him and he laughed. "I think people probably use it for their medical cards."

"Probably." he nodded in agreement. She put the money in her wallet and returned the wallet to her purse before holding out twenty dollars to Clint who shook his head. "Maggs,"

"Clint, just take it, please." she told him and he stepped away from her. "Come on." she whined and he shook his head as he walked away. She sighed and followed after him, stuffing the bill into her purse, resolving to get it to him one way or another.

They spent the entire day together, walking around New York, seeing some of the more touristy side of New York, and some of the not so touristy side. He took her to lunch in Little Italy and they walked through Strawberry Fields in Central Park. When it was close to sunset Clint hailed a cab and took her over the Queensboro bridge, he led her along, listening as she talked about some random subject, before he looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"Where are we going?" she asked suddenly and he looked at her.

"Right here." he told her and she looked at him curiously as he leaned on the rail separating the walkway from the water. He nodded behind her and she turned around as the lights on the bridge lit up. Clint watched as she stood there, looking at Manhattan in awe. She backed up slightly until she was leaning against him. He looked at her, and then gently wrapped his arms around her waist. She touched his hands and he looked at her. She smiled at him, before looking back at the city. By the time they got back to Stark Tower it was completely dark. They hadn't discussed their moment in Brooklyn; rather they just rode back in their cab in silence.

* * *

"Hello?" Mrs. Nolan answered the ringing phone as she finished the dishes.

"Jane, it's me." the crackly, out of distance voice of Vernon Nolan was a shock to the woman.

"Honey," she breathed. "What- Oh my god."

"I don't have a lot of time Jane. What's this I hear about a kidnapping?"

"It's our daughter." she explained. "We got back from church and she was gone."

"What did I tell you? Never leave her alone!"

"It was just church- she hadn't been a problem before!" Jane protested.

"It hadn't been a problem before because I wasn't active _before_." he hissed.

"Are you active now?" she whispered and he sighed.

"How long were you at church?" he asked.

"An hour maybe."

"She couldn't have gotten herself out?"

"No, she was bedridden, she could hardly walk on her own." she replied.

"She had to have had help." he muttered.

"Who would help her?"

"There's only one person who could." he replied.

"I thought you killed him."

"I shot him, he wasn't killed."

"He killed Seamus and you didn't kill him?"

"He killed Seamus after I shot him; I had to get out of there."

"Well why would he help her?" Jane asked in frustration. "Especially after all this time."

"He took the bullet for her." he replied. "I was aiming for her."

"How do we know it was him?"

"Colin saw him and another guy outside of Adele's apartment two days before you lost her." he explained.

"So what are you going to do?" Jane asked.

"It's only a matter of time before Hawkeye comes looking for me." he replied. "And I'll be ready."

"I wish you'd come back." she said into the phone. "I wish I could see you."

"I wish you knew how to get a job done." he replied. "Instead of letting your emotions cloud the fact that you had one job to do."

"I'm sorry Vernon." she said, her eyes welling with tears.

"You should have let Chris do it all of those times he had a chance." he told her.

"I- I wanted to do-"

"You wanted to keep your daughter. Well she's not your daughter anymore. The moment she betrayed the family, she ceased to be your daughter. She's an imposter; get that trough your mind."

"I don't want to go through this again, I couldn't ask Chris to do it because it was hard enough on him with Scotty-"

"But he did it. He did it, and he handled it like a man." he replied.

"Where are you going?"

"Sooty's got room for me. I'll go there."

"You'll be safe there?"

"Yeah, I'll be safe."

"I love you." it suddenly got really loud in the background. She heard his voice, but not what he said before the call ended and she stared at her phone, tears rolling down her face. She cleaned her face off and then cleared her throat.

"What did he say?" Jane turned around, surprised to see the eldest of her children, her son Chris standing there. He stared at her with the same blue eyes Margaret had, the same soft features, but different hair. His was a dark blonde hair, much like Vernon's. She walked over to her son and wrapped her arms around him, burring her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and let her hold him for a moment before she pulled back and cupped his face.

"Margaret has betrayed us." she told him. "Your father is safe; he's going to see Sooty."

"What does he want me to do?" he asked and her chin trembled. "Mom, what does he want me to do?"

"Margaret is giving information to your father's enemies. The information she gives them could get your father killed. Stop her, at all costs." she told him and he looked down. "This is for the family, you are protecting your family." she said sharply. "Your father isn't here with makes you the man of the house. Try acting like it." she demanded and he nodded.

"I can do it." he said softly as he looked at his mother. "Just tell me where she is, and I'll do it." he promised and she nodded as she patted his cheek with a smile making him smile.

* * *

**_Okay guys, I hope you liked that chapter, and as promised a special message from everyone's favorite director of SHIELD and the girl who started this whole universe, Mrs. Simone (Minnie) Banner! Yaay! _**

**_P.S. Please don't forget to review! _**

**_~Hello everyone, Minnie Banner here! Well, I've found myself with a little free time, and I thought, what better way to spend it then to answer some questions you guys might have! Phil says as long as the questions don't break protocal or give away any important S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets, I can answer whatever I want. I should also mention, I'm obviously very close to the Avengers, so I won't be answering any questions that could you know, put them into danger or anything like that. But I will answer some questions about them. Same with my kids, again, obviously. Plus, Amanda would never forgive me. So, send in some questions, and I'll post my answers soon! Let's say in about a week huh? There will be a new story on this account titled "I'm Your's" because- Well, I'm your's to answer questions. I'm not actually your's, I mean, if I had to say I belonged to anyone, well, these days Bruce would say I belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. but I'd say I'm all his. Anyway, getting off subject there, look out for it, I'll have it posted tonight, and who knows, maybe even Amanda or Heather would be interested in doing something like this too. Or Maggie when she and Clint get back- Whoops, Phil says I just gave out too much information on an ongoing case, and Bruce is forbidding Amanda from talking to strangers on the internet. It's so cute how he gets all over-protective and fatherly of her. Also, if you have any questions for my family, I call them every weeks, so I can ask them the questions for you as well and get their answers. So anyways, next Sunday I'll be answering whatever questions you may have. Thing of some good ones! Talk to you next week! _**

**_Cheers!_**  
**_Simone (Minnie) Banner_**  
**_Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.~_**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hey ya'll, Scruffy here, I hope you all had a great Halloween! I went to the LA Haunted Hayride on Halloween and did the Hayride and the maze and had so much fun! I shrieked like a little girl, but it was great! I can't wait to do it again next year! **_

_**For those of you who believe 13 is an unlucky number, in this chapter, you're both right, and wrong. Keep reading to see why. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. If I did, Deadpool and I would be playing that insane poker game I mentioned before every week. (But Scruffy, it's so insane it's banned in most countries-) EVERY WEEK! That is all.**_

_**P.S. Have you guys seen the trailer for Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters? Considering Hansel is played by Jeremy Renner, I think it's appropriate for me to say "That Hansel's so hot right now".** _

* * *

A few weeks went by, Maggie was gaining weight at a healthy speed, though she went to the SHIELD doctors she'd always follow up their visit with a visit to Dr. Banner, no matter how many times he told her he was a scientist, he would always look over what the doctors did, and she would tell him everything they said, and confirm whatever it was they told her. Clint was happy seeing her get back to normal, even with the police coming around and asking questions every now and again.

Detective Daniels of the NYPD and his partner Detective Moore were working with the SBPD with this case and had brought Maggie in a few times to ask her questions, which was normal, what wasn't normal was when Detective Moore pulled her aside, looking over his shoulder as Detective Daniels walked down the hall. "So I was thinking," Detective Moore said in his sort of gruff, Brooklyn way of speaking. "Why don't you let me take you out sometime?" he asked and she stared at him in shock.

"Are you- Really?" she asked and he nodded as he stepped in closer, putting his hand on the wall she was leaning on, looking down at her. She looked up at him, he was tall around the same height as Clint, maybe a little taller, and was built like a linebacker. She could see how he could become a good cop.

"Why not?" he asked as he stepped in a little closer, she tilted her head to look up at him and smiled lightly.

"How about because I don't know your first name." she offered and he chuckled.

"It's Hugh," he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and she felt her cheeks flush deeply.

"I, um, I'm kind of... _Unavailable_." she said and he let out a small chuckle as he stepped back. "I'm sorry."

"Could you... Not tell Daniels about this?" he asked softly and she nodded quickly.

"Yeah, of course." she said quickly.

"Ms. Nolan?" a female officer walked over and Maggie smiled at her. "Your ride is here."

"Great, thanks." she said before she smiled lightly at Detective Moore and quickly followed after the female officer. "Natalie," Maggie said in surprise when she saw Natasha. She had taken to calling Natasha Natalie when they were outside of Stark Tower under the request of the assassin. "I thought Clint was picking me up?"

"Minnie asked him to pick up Kayla from her after school program." she explained and Maggie nodded as she followed the other woman out of the police station. "You okay?" Natasha asked noticing Maggie's face. "You look flustered."

"Oh, it's just- One of the detectives on my case asked me out just now." she shrugged.

"What did you say?" Natasha asked as they got to the car waiting for them.

"I said no." Maggie said and Nat nodded before getting into the driver's seat.

* * *

"Can I help you?" Kayla's teacher, Ms. Charlotte asked when Clint got to the classroom.

"Yeah, I'm here to pick up my niece, Makayla Banner." at the sound of her name Kayla looked up from the block metropolis she was building and grinned brightly.

"Uncle Clint!" she squealed and ran over to him. She threw her arms around his legs and he laughed.

"Hey kiddo." he smiled as he knelt down and hugged her.

"Yeah, Kayla's mom sent a note saying someone different would be picking her up, I need to see your ID." the teacher said apologetically and Clint fished it out of his ID.

"Hey kiddo, go clean us your blocks and grab your gear." he instructed her. She ran off to do as she was told and Clint watched as the teacher took down his driver's license number.

"I'm sorry, it's the school policy." the dark haired woman apologized as she turned back to Clint who nodded.

"No problem." he said easily, and looked up in time to see Kayla get shoved by the little girl she had been complaining about, Gwen. He looked at the teacher who was talking to a different student for a moment, then looked back at Clint and smiled. "You totally missed that didn't you?" he asked and she frowned.

"Kayla," she sighed when she saw the little girl sitting in a huge pile of blocks looking dazed. "Look at the mess, hurry, your uncle probably has to go home to his wife!"

"Gwen pushed me!" Kayla defended herself as she got up.

"Gwen is sitting there reading her book." Ms. Charlotte said and Clint frowned.

"Actually, I saw the whole thing, Gwen did push her." he said and she looked at him doubtfully.

"I'm Gwen's aunt- my sister's daughter, not through marriage or anything- and I know my niece, she wouldn't do that to her friend."

"Hate to burst your bubble, but they aren't friends."

"Well all Gwen talks about is Kayla, so I find that a little hard to believe." Charlotte said with a smile.

"Well all Kayla talks about is how much Gwen pushes her around, so maybe you should actually listen when a kid says they're being bullied instead of instantly believing the one you're related to and brush it off as a kids will be kids situation. Because I know for a fact, there are plenty of other schools Minnie and Bruce have thought about sending their kid to, and I'm sure your boss would hate to lose a kid, especially when they find out why." he said and she stared at him for a moment before she looked down, and then back at him.

"Maybe you'd like to meet for a cup of coffee sometime, and we can go over what it is Kayla says happened, and figure out some sort of solution." she said and he stared at her for a moment before he nodded.

"Maybe I would." he told her and she smiled lightly before writing down her phone number and handing it to him.

"I'm free Wednesday night." she told him and he nodded.

"Seven o'clock, there's a coffee shop right near Strawberry Fields in Central Park." he told her and she nodded this time.

"Sounds good." she told him with a flirtatious smile before Kayla pulled on his hand.

"Come on Kayla." he said as he picked her up and carried her to the car.

"Are you going out with Ms. Charlotte?" she asked and he shook his head.

"It's just coffee." he told her as he walked her to the car. "Ready to go see your dad?"

"Yup!" she grinned.

When they got to Stark Tower rather than going to the labs Clint took Kayla upstairs where Natasha was sitting with Maggie, the two of them chatting about nothing important when the elevator dinged and Kayla bound over to the couch and jumped onto Natasha's lap. "Tasha, Tasha, guess what?" she asked excitedly.

"What's up?" Natasha asked the bubbly five year old.

"Uncle Clint is going out with my teacher!" Natasha looked from Kayla to Maggie, then to Clint who had gone white.

"Not- It's not- It's just coffee-" he held up his hands quickly.

"Hi," Kayla said suddenly to Maggie who looked back at her. "I remember you; you went to my school with Uncle Clint huh?"

"That's right." she said.

"Are you his girlfriend?"

"No, your Uncle Clint is as single as they come." she said as she stood up. "Excuse me." she walked out of the room and got into the elevator. It let her off at the floor she had been staying on and she walked to her room before going through her desk. She quickly found what she was looking for and picked up the phone before dialing a number.

"Moore here."

"Hi, Detective Moore, this is Maggie Nolan."

"Hey Maggie, what's up?"

"I was wondering, um, do you still want to go out sometime?" she asked and there was a pause on the other end.

"You free Wednesday night?" he asked and she nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, Wednesday works."

"Great, I'll pick you up at six thirty."

"Okay, see you then." she told him. When she hung up with him she got onto the computer and wrote a long email to Adele explaining what an idiot she had just been, and asking for advice on what to do.

The next day Adele replied with she had better not cancel the date or else she would send the Irish mafia after her, which made Maggie laugh, and promise to go on the date.

* * *

When Wednesday came around Maggie had bought a new dress at the shop in St. Mark's, a deep blue silk dress with a V neck that seemed to pull to the side and bunch up slightly at her left hip, letting down a small flow of fabric. She put on a pair of black heels and wore a black coat over it, she had done her makeup in a beautiful smoky look, making her eyes seem brighter, and had decided to tease her hair a little, but not too much, she put in a little product and decided it looked good enough to her before she went upstairs to get a cup of coffee and wait for him to call.

When she got up there she was surprised to see Steve and Thor sitting with Tony who was teaching Thor how to play video games. Natasha was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of water and only stopped when the guys stopped what they were doing. "Well Tink, don't you look pretty?" Tony asked and she smiled lightly with a small blush.

"Thanks Tony."

"What's the occasion?"

"I um, have a date." she said and he grinned.

"Oh really? Anyone we know?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"Uh, I don't think so, his name is Hugh Moore, he's a cop." she told him as she moved to the kitchen. Tony Steve and Thor all stopped, Steve literally paused mid chew on the bite of his sandwich he was eating when she said that and then the three of them looked over the back of the couch at her.

"You're dating a cop? When did that happen?" Tony asked.

"Around the same time Clint started dating Kayla's teacher I imagine." Natasha said pointedly and Maggie smiled at her before putting down the bottle of water she was drinking from at the sound of her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I'm downstairs."

"I'll be right down." she said and hung up the phone. "Natasha, teeth check?" she pulled back her lips exposing her teeth to the red haired assassin who shook her head.

"You look good."

"May I say you look ready to join your first feast of celebration?" Thor spoke up and she thought for a moment before smiling at the Asgardian.

"Thank you Thor. I'll see you guys later." she said, the elevator doors opening behind her, Clint stepped out and walked forward, literally turning around as Maggie passed him.

"What are you so dressed up for?" he asked.

"You're not the only one with a hot date." she told him as the elevator doors closed behind her. He stood there for a moment before turning back to everyone in the living room.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"I'll tell you what just happened," Natasha said stepping up to him. "What just happened is she was asked out, and she said no, until the moment you decided to ask out your niece's teacher!" she shouted at him. "Do you realize you're only screwing yourself over?"

"I didn't ask her out!" Clint defended himself.

"Jarvis bring up picture of the lobby." Tony said and Jarvis brought up picture. "Locate Maggie Nolan." he brought up picture of inside of the elevator, she was fixing her lipstick in a small mirror before the elevator stopped. She stepped out of the elevator and they focused on the image in the lobby where she put the lipstick and mirror away and quickly found the tall cop with dark hair wearing a suit.

"_He's_ a cop?" Clint asked.

"_He's_ a _detective_." Natasha replied.

"Isn't he a little _young _to be a detective?" Steve asked.

"If they were to wed their children would be beautiful!" Thor declared earning dirty looks from everyone.

"Oh- he's going for it." Tony said as the detective leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then held out his arm.

"There's no way Maggie would fall for-" Clint stopped talking when Maggie linked her arm through the detective's and followed him outside.

"_Idiot_." Natasha muttered as she walked out of the room.

All Clint could think about while he sat in the coffee shop was how Maggie had looked in that dress. While they had dated she had gotten dressed up, but she had never worn something that elegant. She had only been twenty one when they dated, and not many twenty one year olds were known for dressing very elegantly, which wasn't to say she didn't dress nicely, Clint loved the way she dressed, and sure Clint had never even thought about what she'd look like if she had dressed like _that_, but now that he knew, and now that he knew it was for someone else, he couldn't get it out of his mind. Charlotte sure talked a lot, and it was no wonder she never noticed kids being bullied the way she sat there and talked and talked and talked, never letting anyone else get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until she got up to go to the bathroom did Clint get to look at his phone, just as he got a text from Natasha.

"_Chris Nolan is in the city- Get to Maggie ASAP._" Clint jumped up and threw twenty dollars down on the table before leaving quickly. Under normal circumstances he would have felt bad about leaving Charlotte there, but right now, he couldn't feel anything but adrenaline coursing through his veins as he ran to the car.

* * *

Maggie smiled at Hugh who was telling her about his two kids, Gracie and Ryan. As he talked about them she sipped the glass of wine she had ordered. Sure, the doctors warned her against drinking alcohol, but it went so well with her meal she couldn't help but enjoy it. Hugh was a good guy, a little rough around the edges, sure, but all in all she found she enjoyed his company, which in all honesty was making her miserable. She couldn't help but think about Clint and wonder if he was having a good time with Kayla's teacher.

Kayla had been happy to inform Natasha who told Maggie that her teacher was the type of teacher who liked all of the daddies and liked to wear short skirts when she left the school- Kayla knew because she saw Ms. Charlotte had changed clothes before leaving school. She also said that Ms. Charlotte had been very good about keeping Gwen and her separated after Clint agreed to go out with her and that she talked about her "Big Date" to her students. Maggie sighed and then smiled at Hugh. Why should she worry about Clint when she had a very nice, perfectly normal cop in front of her who had the rough city cop thing going for him, which Maggie had to admit was something she found very attractive.

"Will you excuse me for a moment Hugh?" she asked and he stood up as she got up and walked to the bathroom. She went to the bathroom and smiled at the attendant before she pulled her phone out of her purse. She noticed she had a missed call from Natasha so she dialed her back.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at dinner."

"Where?"

"Little Italy."

"Which place?"

"Angelo's."

"Woah, he took you to Angelo's on your first date?"

"I know right?" Maggie sighed with a small smile.

"Anyway, there's a problem. Your brother's in town."

"Chris?"

"He charmed one of the employees on the first floor who overheard you and the cop. He's on his way to you now. We're en route, but I want you to stay where you are."

"Right, stay where I am." she nodded even through Natasha couldn't see her. "How do the other agents know where I am?"

"GPS Tracker in the phone Tony gave you." Natasha replied before hanging up. Maggie stood there for a moment before she moved out of the bathroom. If she was lucky she could get Hugh and drag him to the back and keep him safe too.

She wasn't lucky.

As she made her way to the table Hugh stood up, she smiled at him, and then happened to look at the door as Chris walked in. Her smile fell and she hesitated as Chris pulled a gun out from inside his jacket pocket. Maggie was dragged to the ground by one of the waiters as a shot went off. He held her to the ground as screams filled the air; Maggie could see everything happening in what felt like slow motion until the waiter pulled her behind the counter where they went to get the food.

"Pretty level headed in a fight." she said to him and he looked down at her.

"Not my first rodeo." he told her. "They're here for Vickey Laguardio-" he turned to another waiter and she shook her head.

"He's here for me." she told him, as another gunshot rang out. She peeked around and saw Hugh shoot at Chris. Hugh!" she called and he looked at her. "He's my brother." tears were rolling down her face at this point. He nodded signifying he'd heard her, and then aimed before shooting Chris in the elbow. It knocked him back, and he groaned as he fell to the ground. Hugh got up and ran over to Maggie while the waiters went to get Vickey Laguardio out the back, Maggie stood up, and Hugh nodded.

"You alright?" he asked and she let out a shaky breath before nodding. He gave her a small smile, before he was shot suddenly in the arm. He fell to the ground, and Maggie let out a small scream, before looking at Chris who had gotten to his knee, holding the gun out in front of him. He turned it on Maggie who stood there paralyzed as she looked her brother in the eye.

"Chris." she said softly as he pulled the hammer back. "Please, don-" Maggie would never forget the sound of the arrow rushing by her, nor the thud her bother made when it embedded itself in his shoulder and knocked him back onto the ground.

Maggie turned around, Clint stood there with a determined look in his eye as he pulled another arrow from his quiver and then walked forward, he picked up the gun Chris had in his hand and put it on a table before he looked down at Chris who groaned. A moment later two large SHIELD SUV's pulled up and Agents started getting out while Clint stood over Chris. He didn't look away until Maggie walked over to him, laying her hand on his arm.

He looked at her and looked back at the SHIELD paramedics that were now taking care of Chris and Hugh before he put the arrow back, and put his bow on the table. He held out his arms and Maggie moved into them without hesitation, he felt her shaking as she clung to him and he held her a little tighter as he thought about how lucky she had been.

"It's alright Maggs," he told her softly. "I won't let anything happen to you." she pulled back slightly and looked at him for a moment before he leaned down and kissed her.

She shut her eyes, kissing him back.

Later he would laugh at the absurdity of the situation, their timing, everything, but right now, all he could care about was the fact that she was alive, and he would do everything in his power to keep her that way.

* * *

_**Hope you guys liked the chapter! **_

_**Don't forget, you've got until Sunday to submit any questions you may want to ask Minnie Banner in her Q&A series titled "I'm Yours"**_

_**Also, please don't forget to review! They give me the will to update.** _


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hey ya'll, sorry it took me so long to update. I had written this chapter and a few more when my computer crashed and I lost all of the chapters. I couldn't even look at the document for a little while because I would get so frustrated, not to mention I got a job, which is awesome, but time consuming, but now I'm back, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Also, to answer SiriuslyAddictedtoReading's review about what Hugh was thinking when Maggie and Clint kissed in the last chapter, it was after the paramedics had already taken him in their car so he didn't see. **_

_**I debated with myself about how I was going to end this chapter, if I really wanted to do this or not, but since you've all been so patient with me about how long it took to post this chapter, I decided I'd give it to you. **_

_**Also, to my Bruce Banner fans, I've started a new Bruce story called "Baby It's You". It's not a Minnie story, it features a different OC. I feel like it was time for me to start a different generation of Bruce Banner stories, I don't know if it'll go anywhere aside from the one story, but I like it for what it is. It features General Ross too, so if you like those kinds of stories, this is a good one to check out. **_

_**So, anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the chapter! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. If I did, I'd be sitting in a room decked out in Marvel paraphernalia with copies of issue number ones in a filing drawer next to me. Sadly I am not in that room. I'm in my living room with a plush X Wing sitting on the couch next to me.** _

* * *

Clint woke up the next morning to someone knocking on his door. He sighed and shifted to get up an answer it, only to have Maggie wrap her arms around his middle and bury her face in his shirt. "Leave it." she said and he looked down and her, then nodded. She had slept with him after the incident at Angelo's- which had left Minnie furious, Angelo's was her favorite Italian place. They hadn't slept together in a sexual sense, but Maggie had chosen to sleep with him because he made her feel safe. He laid back down and wrapped his arm around her, stroking her hair as she fell back to sleep against him. His phone started to ring a few moments later and he hit the ignore button. "Is it the end of the world?"

"I don't care." he replied and she sighed against him. He looked at his phone, writing a text to Minnie saying he'd call her later and then put the phone down so he could wrap both of his arms around Maggie and let her sleep against him. When they both woke up again about an hour later he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

"What time is it?" Maggie asked and he looked at his cell phone.

"Nine thirty." he replied and she sighed before laying back on the bed.

"I wish we never had to leave this room." she told him and he looked down at her.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Because the minute we leave is the minute it all becomes real." she sighed. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"It's real enough for everyone else." he told her. "Minnie's been trying to call me all morning to tell me your brother's awake-"

"And Mr. Stark is on his way down to ask a few questions." Jarvis interrupted the two.

"How far away is he?" Clint asked.

"Right outside sir." Jarvis said before the door opened.

"Tony-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, quick question, what's a Sooty?" he looked at Maggie who frowned.

"What?"

"Your dad, he called your mom and said something about staying with Sooty?"

"Sooty? Jesus." she muttered as she frowned, deep in thought.

"Who is it Maggs?" Clint asked.

"His name is Silas Callahan," she explained. "We used to call him Uncle Sooty when we were kids."

"Dare I ask why?" Tony asked and she slowly met his eyes.

"He built fires." she told him and he nodded.

"Where's he live?"

"I don't know." she shook her head.

"Would Chris know?" Cline asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know." she said softly. "But I can try to find out."

* * *

Maggie stood outside of Chris' room as Tony put an earpiece into her ear. "_Testing testing_." he spoke into a small microphone, the sound of his voice echoing in her ear making her wince. "That's working."

"Yeah." she nodded. "So just talk to him."

"Try to find out where Sooty is."

"Right." she nodded and looked at Clint who stepped over to her.

"We'll be right outside." He kissed her gently and she nodded before she turned and went into the room. Chris was lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. His arm was in a sling and bandaged, Maggie suspected it was stitched up pretty well from them digging the bullet out of his elbow, and she could see under the hospital gown there was thick bandaging where Clint had shot him with the arrow. He looked at her as she walked in, and the returned his gaze to the ceiling.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked and she looked down.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I would have."

"I know."

"Why did you stop the cop?"

"Because I'm not you." she replied.

"I'm not your brother you know."

"I don't care what they say, we're family Chris." she said as she approached the bed.

"Not according to them you're not." he said and she nodded.

"Well according to me and the people here, we are, and because we are, they gave me the chance to try to talk some sense into you before they sent in someone to ask you questions," her eyes filled with fear, which he noticed. "I didn't want them to get to you first..." she shook her head.

"_You're doing good kid_." Tony said in her ear. "_Mention Sooty_."

"Chris, they know about Uncle Sooty." she said and he looked at her sharply. "I don't know how, but they keep asking questions about him. Do you know where he is?"

"Why, so your boyfriend can go up there and kill them both? You know that's the only reason he started fucking you. So he could kill dad."

"How many people you wanna bet Dad's done that to." Maggie said and he frowned lightly. "Dad's an assasin, he was ready to kill me, the only reason he's still alive and I'm still alive is because Clint took the bullet dad meant for me. When I went home, mom tried to kill me. So did you, and so did our sisters, and I'm willing to bet Scotty wasn't an accident either." she said and Chris looked down, swallowing. "Dad had you do it huh?" she asked and he looked back up. "He tell you Scott wasn't family because he was making a name for himself without dad's help? Or maybe it was because Scott was the only one of us smart enough to leave when he had the chance. Or was it because he was gay?"

"Never told me." Chris mumbled.

"So you just killed our brother, no questions asked?" she asked as he clenched his jaw. "That's nice, that's real nice."

"_Kid, as much as I love hearing all this, try to get him to talk about Sooty, or we may actually have to send the Black Widow in_." Tony said in her ear.

"Where's Sooty?"

"Fuck you."

"If you don't tell me, I'm going to leave, and when I do someone will come in here, and they will torture you, and you will tell them." she told him. He didn't move and she sighed before the door opened. Thor walked in and looked at Maggie.

"I was told it's time." he said and then looked at Chris. "Is this your brother?" he asked and Chris went completely pale.

"It was nice talking Chris." she said when she realized what Tony was doing.

"_**Alaska!**_" he shrieked. "He's in Alaska, I don't know where, somewhere in the North, but I don't know where!"

"_Good job Maggie_." Tony said in her ear.

* * *

Minnie was surprised when she stepped off the elevator on the top floor of Stark Tower to see most of the team sitting there quietly. She was about to say something when everyone shushed her. She frowned, and then realized why everyone was so quiet; she could hear what sounded like a very heated shouting match down the hall. "Jarvis, will you please let Maggie and Clint know I'd like to see them?" she asked as she rolled her eyes making Tony groan and shoot her a look. "What are they fighting about anyways?" she asked as she took a pretzel from the bag of them Steve was holding out to her.

"About whether or not Maggie's going to Alaska with Clint."

"Of course she's going." Minnie chuckled.

"_What?_" Bruce looked up and she nodded.

"So out of curiosity, who was winning?" Minnie asked as she sat on the arm of the couch.

"Maggie was making a pretty strong argument- what do you mean she's going?" Bruce asked.

"Kind of self explanatory there sweetie, she's going means just that; she's going." she responded before a very stressed out looking Clint Barton and Maggie Nolan walked into the living room. "Good work in there today Maggie." she told her.

"Thanks." Maggie said.

"Minnie, will you please tell her she's a lot safer here than she ever would be in Alaska?" Clint asked.

"Maggie, you're a lot safer here then you ever would be in Alaska," Minnie repeated.

"Thank you-"

"However, you're not as useful to us here as you would be in Alaska." she continued. Clint looked at her in shock and she stood up.

"Maggie, she hasn't been trained- she has no-"

"I take it you never told him about your family's little rite of passage?" Minnie asked and Maggie shrugged.

"I should probably be more surprised than I am that you know about it, but as Adele puts it, never try to bullshit a bullshitter."

"Smart girl." Minnie nodded. "Every year, until the Nolan children are twelve they are trained in extensive wilderness survival. They're brought out to the woods with their father, they're taught everything he knows, and then when they're thirteen, they're taken for an entire week into the woods, and left there. They're given basic survival gear, a map and a date, time, and location of a meeting where they will be picked up, their work evaluated, and they're brought home." Minnie explained. "What happens if you don't meet at the specific time set by your parents?" all eyes turned to Maggie.

"You're given twenty three more hours. Every day you aren't there, another hour is taken off." she explained. "The longest anyone took was my sister Inez. She was there for two and a half weeks."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about it?" Steve asked.

"Why doesn't Natasha talk about everything she's ever gone through, or Bruce talk about his dark times? Why don't I talk about how sometimes it really blows being blind?" Matt spoke up. "Or why don't you talk about how alone you felt for the longest time?" he nodded to Steve. "Because it sucks. Sure, it helped shape who we are today, but it doesn't make it suck any less."

"Thanks." Maggie said softly and Matt nodded to her. "I don't like remembering that my parents were totally okay with the idea of leaving a thirteen year old in the woods alone for a week in the middle of nowhere. It really sucked."

"Alaska is going to be a lot different than California, you know that." Clint spoke up.

"It was Northern California, there was snow, there was below freezing temperatures, it depended on what they wanted to test us on." she told them. "I know it's going to be different than anything I've ever done because I've never actually killed anyone before." she nodded. "But if they obviously don't have any second thoughts about trying to kill me, why should I?"

"It's not that easy." Clint told her and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe, maybe not." she said easily. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go to the hospital."

"I'll drive you." Minnie said and Maggie smiled lightly at her before following her downstairs.

* * *

"Hey." Maggie smiled lightly when she walked into the hospital room.

"Hey," Hugh looked lover at the door. "I was wondering if you'd make it in." he smiled lightly.

"Of course I would." she smiled at him as she stepped into the room. "I brought you- I'm sure you're sick of flowers, but..." she shrugged as she held up a blue orchid. "I figured blue was the most manly color they had." she said and he chuckled.

"So we gonna talk about it?" he asked and she sighed.

"If we have to." she said and he gestured to the chair next to his bed. She set the orchid down on the table and then sat down in the chair.

"Why's your brother tryin' to kill you?"

"Because my family's really fucked up. My dad is Vernon Nolan." she told him and he stared at her blankly. "See, that name usually means something to people who know what the hell happens on the side of things people don't see. My dad is an assassin. He's paid to kill people, and he's been trying to kill me for years."

"Have you gone to the police? We can keep you safe Maggie."

"No, I- I have someone else helping me right now."

"Maggie, trust me I'm a cop, revenge isn't the best way to deal with this."

"No, my dad trying to shoot me in the head a few years ago, that was revenge. My mom trying to starve me to death; that was her form of revenge. What Chris did last night; that was revenge. What I'm doing is not revenge. What I'm doing is what caused the revenge."

"This is starting to sound like a Quentin Tarantino movie here Maggie." Hugh said and she chuckled. "Next you're gonna tell me you're going away for a little while and that you're no good for me." he looked at her as a look of guilt crossed her face. "Oh no, Maggie, you can't be serious! Leave it to the professionals-"

"I am leaving it to the professionals Hugh. I'm a survivalist; they need me to help them."

"How did this all get started?" he asked.

"It started a few years ago when I met a guy at a bar." she said as she stood up. "Take care of yourself Hugh, you're a really great guy, any girl would be so lucky to have you." she sighed.

"Any girl but you?" he asked. She walked over to him and lightly kissed his cheek. He sighed and looked up at her. "You know I have to report this."

"Hugh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you won't." she said and he looked at her questioningly before the hospital room door opened and the man Minnie had introduced as Agent Coulson walked in.

"I'll take it from here Maggie."

"Oh, and Hugh?" Maggie turned and looked at the confused New York cop. "Don't put the flower in direct sunlight, and about half a cup of water should be more than enough a week." she told him. He nodded numbly before Coulson shut the door behind her.

"Think he'll be okay?" Minnie asked and Maggie sighed.

"I hope so."

"We'll keep an eye on him." Minnie told her and Maggie nodded, her mind wrapped around what she had told Clint earlier. When it came down to it, would she be able to kill her father, or allow him to be killed? God she hoped so.

* * *

"What's been going on with you?" Bruce asked Minnie who looked up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I haven't seen you like this since the war." he told her and she looked down at the papers she was working on, then capped her pen and put it down. It was late, Kayla was fed, bathed and put to bed and Minnie had spoken to Amanda on the phone a little while earlier.

"That girl was shot at Bruce, she was almost killed not very far from here." she told him and he nodded.

"I know."

"It hit too close to home."

"She's not an agent Minnie." he told her and she sighed. "She's not."

"I know she isn't, but she's a useful asset."

"You never used to talk like this." he told her. "What's been going on with you?"

"I just want to get this one done, you know?" she asked.

"Why is this one so important?" he asked and she stood up and walked around the desk. She leaned back against it and took his hands.

"Because this is my last big one." she told him. "Maria Hill has agreed to come back, after this one is over, I'm stepping down and she's taking over in my place." she smiled lightly and he smiled.

"Why the sudden change?" he asked. "I mean I know we said it was temporary, but, you seemed to take to the job."

"I miss my old job." she shrugged with a small laugh. "And, well," she moved his hands so they weren't on her waist, but rather her stomach. "I'm pregnant." she told him softly making him stare at her in surprise and shock.

"How long- When did you-" Bruce had a million things to say but was at a loss for words. "Are you sure?" he managed to croak out and she nodded.

"I took a home pregnancy test last week, and when to the doctor a few days ago." she told him. He wrapped one arm around her middle, and put the other behind her head, pulling her into a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, smiling into the kiss before he finally pulled away. She cupped his cheek with one hand, smiling at the feel of his slight five o'clock shadow, and then kissed his chin. "I take it you're okay with this development?" she asked and he sighed.

"I love you so much." he told her and she smiled again before kissing him lightly.

"So how are we going to tell Kayla she's going to be a big sister?" she asked and he continued to grin before pulling her into another kiss.

* * *

_**So, there you go, Maggie is going to Alaska, and the Banners are expanding their family! **_

_**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope it was worth the wait! **_

_**Please don't forget to review!** _


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hey ya'll, so this chapter I'd like to inform you if I could rate chapters individually, this one would be an M. This is my first time writing really graphic mature content, and if you don't like reading that kind of stuff, I'd skip this chapter, just so you know. If you decide to stay and continue to read, that's your choice, but don't freak out at me and say I didn't warn you. **_

_**Disclaimer: I only own Maggie.** _

* * *

It hurt to look at Maggie. She was sweating, breathing heavily, her hands were shaking, and she was on the floor, her knees had given in on her. Clint walked across the room holding a Gatorade, Avery- the leader assigned to train Maggie was still barking orders at her until Clint cleared his throat. "Back off man." Clint ordered.

"Hawkeye, I was assigned to-"

"To help her get ready for Alaska, well, what good is she to me in Alaska if she can barely move she hurts so much?" Clint asked. "Take fifteen." he told the trainer who hesitated but after Clint shot him a look relented and left the room. Maggie coughed, and Clint picked up a black plastic trash bin and put it down in front of her. He sat down on the bench behind her and she leaned over the bin, he moved the hair from her face that had come out of her ponytail away from her face. It was slick with sweat and stuck to his fingers, but he held it as she puked into the trash bin. He rubbed her back gently with his other hand, and she coughed before looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "You're okay." he said softly.

He unscrewed the cap on the Gatorade, and she took it from him, starting to chug the bottle, before she stopped herself. She put it back down and cleared her throat before breathing deeply a few times, and then taking a sip of the sports drink. Clint watched as she showed more control then he had seen in someone who wasn't an active agent as she sipped the drink, then put the cap back on. She sighed and leaned against his legs, resting her head against his knees. "Thanks." she croaked and he leaned down, pressing his lips against her forehead.

"I can have them call it a day if you want." he offered and she sighed before shaking her head.

"I've only got another hour." she told him. "I can do it."

"You can hardly stand."

"And we leave in two days, I need to be ready." she replied. "Just let me rest for a few minutes, and then I'll be ready." he nodded as she shut her eyes.

* * *

That night after she had gone through training, and after she had been fitted for a winter wardrobe SHIELD would be providing, she was driven back to Stark Tower. Rather than going to her room Clint was pleased when she knocked on his door. He opened the door and she smiled wearily at him. She had taken a shower and was wearing some new clothes, but he could tell she was worn out. He let her into the room and she sat down on his bed. "How're you feeling?" he asked and she sighed.

"Tired, little sore." she admitted.

"Have you eaten?" he asked and she nodded.

"I just wanted to come see you and go to bed." she told him. "I feel like I haven't really- I just want to say thank you, and I understand why you pushed me away when you did." She sighed, but then smiled. "I don't hold it against you." He smiled gently before he walked over to the bed and pulled out his desk chair, he slid the chair over in front of her and sat down in it so close her knees were trapped between his. He put one hand on her thigh and used the other to guide her face towards his so he could kiss her. She leaned into the kiss, putting her hands on his shoulders, opening her mouth slightly, inviting him to deepen the kiss, which he readily did. He ran his tongue over hers eliciting a small moan from her, the sound of which did nothing but help how excited he was getting. He finally pulled away from her; she opened her eyes a moment later and looked at him with confusion as he stood up.

"We should-" he was cut off by her standing up, pressing her body against his and catching his lips with hers. He was unsure for a moment about what to do with his hands before she took them, guiding one hand to her chest and the other to her hip. He seemed hesitant which made Maggie stop and look at him through her eyelashes.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"You're sure you want to try this again?" he asked softly. "You and me?"

"I never wanted to stop it." she told him and he gave her a small half smile before he leaned back in, taking charge of the situation, kissing her a little more forcefully. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he ran his hands down her body, and then leaned down and grabbed her thighs, he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his hips and he carried her to the bed, before laying her down, him laying above her, supporting his weight on one arm, while the other hand was sliding down her chest. He paused at the hem of her shirt, before sliding his hand under the shirt, sliding it up as he slid his hand up her body. She gasped into his lips as his fingers brushed over her small breasts, arching instinctively into his touch. Clint pressed one of his knees between her thighs and held it there as he pulled back from her lips.

She looked at him as he slipped her shirt off, she sat up slightly, helping him pull it over her head, before he pulled his own shirt off. He let out a soft sigh as she reached out, running her hands up his arms, and then down his chest, her finger tips brushing over scars and his lightly colored chest hair, he shut his eyes as one finger gently followed the line of hair going from directly under his belly button, leading to below his waistline. He was breathing deeply as she unbuttoned his jeans, and then he quickly leaned down over her again and caught her lips with his. His lips moved from her mouth, to her jaw, gently nipping at her jaw line before moving his lips and attention south.

His knee pressed up between her thighs making her groan softly as his hands moved behind her back and he expertly unbuckled her bra. She slipped it off of her arms and moaned as one hand cupped her left breast, while his lips made due with the right. His thumb circled her gently, while his tongue did the same, causing her to gasp out, he could feel her pressing against his knee, rocking her hips, trying desperately for any type of satisfaction, making him put his hands on her hips, stopping her. She looked at him with a small frown as he held her hips still, and then slowly brought one hand up, and continued his attack on her other breast.

When she couldn't take it anymore and started moving against his knee again he started to plant slow, wet kisses down her body again, pausing as he unzipped and unbuttoned her pants. He moved his knee, and hooked his thumbs through the belt loops in her pants, sliding them down, pausing at her knees to slip the boots she was wearing off, and then removing the pants the rest of the way. He slid her socks off, settling himself between her legs before he started to kiss up her leg, she gasped at his few day old facial hair rubbing against her thigh, before he hooked his thumbs under her panties. He slipped them off unceremoniously, and resumed his attack on her thighs, kissing everywhere but between her legs.

"Clint." she moaned and he looked up at her, making eye contact. "Clint, I need to tell you, it's been... I- I haven't... Not since you." she finally managed to tell him as he breathed on her, puffing hot air over her.

"Neither have I." he told her before dipping his face, his tongue made contact before his lips did, making her moan deeply. his hands slid up her thighs, but he pulled away a moment later, she looked down at him as he jumped up quickly and moved across the room to where a wide throw pillow was sitting on a couch. He picked it up and carried it back to the bed, she had moved the pillows around behind her quickly while he came back, making herself a little more comfortable. "Lift your hips." he instructed and she did, allowing him to put the pillow under them. He moved it slightly when she lowered her hips and he looked up at her. "Comfy?" he asked and she nodded making him grin. "Good." he said before taking one leg and putting it over his shoulder as he leaned down and resumed what he had been doing. She moaned, his tongue swiped over her clit softly, before rubbing circles around it, one of his calloused fingers slipped into her, sliding in and out while he continued his oral attack, her hips lifting and moving along to what he was doing to her. The only sounds in the room were of heavy breathing, and her gasping his name.

For once Clint thanked god Tony had given him an entire floor of Stark Tower, he could only imagine how embarrassed Maggie would be if they were say right down the hall from the living room where everyone hung out around this time while deciding what to get for dinner. He smirked as he continued what he was doing, before slipping his finger out of her. He quickly traded places with his hand, his thumb now swiping circles around her clit, pressing into it, rubbing against it while his tongue took up what his finger had been doing, nose deep in the most intimate action Clint could think of, he couldn't think of anywhere else he's rather be. After a minute or two he changed back, this time slipping a second finger into her, it wasn't long before she came apart around him, gasping and moaning his name, clenching up around his fingers, he almost came himself from the feeling of her pulsing around them.

He moved back up her body, and after a moment when she remembered how to move she put her hands on the side of his face, pulling him into a kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He groaned pressing his hips into hers as she ran her tongue over his, before pulling back. "Do you have anything?" she asked softly and he opened his eyes.

"Fuck." he whispered.

"I mean if you don't-"

"I'll be right back." he said as he grabbed a tee shirt and pulled it on.

"Clint-"

"Two minutes." he promised her before leaving the room. Two minutes later he returned and she looked at him curiously as he nodded.

"Where did you go?"

"Matt." he told her and she nodded as she sat up on the edge of the bed on her knees. He looked her body over before running his hands down it. She took his shirt by the hem and pulled it up and off of him, she kissed his lips once before running her lips over his chest, softly kissing every scar, and then unbuttoning his pants. He let them fall to the floor, and she put her cool hands on his narrow hips, before sliding his boxers down his legs, his cock springing free. She lightly ran her hand over it before she leaned down, he caught her quickly and she looked up at him. "Not now," he told her. "I won't last if you do." she smiled and nodded knowingly before moving the throw pillow, and laying back on the bed.

She bent her knees and held her legs apart letting him see her. All of her.

He quickly pulled the condom wrapper apart with his teeth and rolled it on before he climbed onto the bed, kneeling between her legs; he guided himself to her and slid inside of her slowly. She moaned gently in his ear as he laid against her, sliding himself in a few more inches. Her lips brushed his ear, whispering words of encouragement; he slipped in a little further, before pulling out gently. In, out, in, out, their bodies moved together, working out a natural rhythm, his fingers found hers, and laced them together before moving her hands above her head, he held them into the mattress while he moved his hips, he could hear her breathing shallow, she had grown quiet, which was a sign she was close.

He stopped for a moment and looked down at her, her eyes were shut, she had a small frown, not from discomfort, but from her trying to hold back. He smirked gently before catching her lips with his, she opened her eyes in surprise and then closed them again as he resumed pumping his hips, one hand slid out of hers, and softly ghosted over her body before moving between them, his thumb found her clit and put a little extra pressure on it, not much, but enough to send her right over the edge. She came around him in an earth shattering orgasm, which in turn caused him to climax. The two of them laid there for a moment, catching their breath before he shifted, moving off of her and laying next to her. She moved into him, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. She kissed his jaw as he held her close for a moment.

"You know," she said and he looked at her. "They say there's no better work out than sex." he snorted and she smiled as he reached down and took off the condom, he leaned over and tossed it into the trash can, then pulled the sheet over the both of them.

"I can't think of a better one." he told her and she smiled. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her again. She traced a few shapes and patterns on his chest silently; he could tell something was bugging her. "What's up?" he asked and she looked up at him.

"Just thinking about tomorrow, how distracted I'll be while Avery is shouting orders at me and all I'll be thinking about is you and what you do to me." she told him with an impish smile. He grinned and slid his hand down her body.

"Is that so?" he asked and she nodded. "Tell me about it." he whispered.

* * *

The next morning the both of them woke up in each others arms. Clint woke up first, her bare back was pressed to his chest, his arm was draped over her body and their fingers were laced together. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the night before and when he did he buried his face in her hair and smiled into it. After a few minutes he knew there was no way he could fall back asleep. He slowly detangled himself from her and got out of bed before covering her up with the blanket that had slipped down to her waist. He gathered some clothes and pulled on a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips before taking the clothes to his bathroom.

When he stepped into the bathroom he frowned seeing a box in the middle of his usually very orderly bathroom. He tossed his clothes onto the side of his tub and walked over to the counter and picked up the note on top of the box, he sighed seeing the familiar cramped handwriting he knew was Tony Stark's. "Thought you could use these." was all that was written on the box. Clint rolled his eyes and opened the box, he was a little impressed and amused at how many boxes of condoms Tony had managed to get his hands on in however long it took him to figure out that he and Maggie had slept together. He shook his head and then stuck the box in the cabinet where he kept his spare towels.

He walked across the cool floor and turned on the shower and then took off his pants letting them fall to the floor. When the water was warm he stepped in and sighed feeling the warm water falling over his body. In twenty four hours he and Maggie would be in Alaska on a hunt for her father, that could take god knows how long. He was damn sure going to enjoy the hot water while he was 100% sure he was going to have it at his disposal.

When he got out of the shower he brushed his teeth and shaved before getting dressed for his day. When he got back into the bedroom Maggie was still asleep. He walked over to the bed and looked at the clock. It was six fifteen; she had to be in Time Square at seven. Clint leaned down and gently kissed her before nudging her softly.

"Hmm?" she asked still mostly asleep.

"Come on Maggs, you've got to get up." he told her and she sighed with a small frown before opening her eyes.

"How long have you been up?" she asked.

"Long enough." he told her. "Come on, I'll go grab you clothes, but you've got to get into the shower." he informed her. She sighed and then nodded, he handed her the clothes she had been wearing the night before and she got dressed.

He went to her room, it was on Natasha's floor, on the other side of the building from Natasha's room, he grabbed some clothes for Maggie and brought them back down, by that time she was in the shower. He knocked on the glass door and she looked at him. He held up her clothes and then put them on the side of the tub and she nodded before smiling at him. He smiled and then held up her tooth brush too and put it on the sink. She went back to what she was doing- washing out her hair- and Clint walked out of the bathroom, giving her privacy.

He decided to go upstairs and get some coffee, and possibly inform Tony that if he gave Maggie a hard time that Tony would wake up to an arrow in every tire of ever car he owned.

* * *

_**Still here? Well, there you go, like I said, it was my first time writing mature content like that, so yeah. The next chapter will be different, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter... **_

_**Please don't forget to review!** _


End file.
